Life After Seigaku
by Gwynhafra
Summary: [Companion fic to 'Echizen, Our Buchou'] A year later, Echizen was made captain of Seigaku Tennis Club. But how are the seniors doing after graduation? Tezuka X Echizen [Please read Echizen, Our Buchou first]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. I can only dream about a harem of tennis players. Sigh…**

**Warning: May contain spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic.**

**Pairings: Tezuka Kunimitsu X Echizen Ryoma. Depending on how you interpret it, it might be an OishiKikumaru fic as well, though the main focus is only TezuEchizen**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 2 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: This is a companion fic to 'Echizen, Our Buchou'. It is recommended that you read that one first. For all those who have read 'Echizen, Our Buchou', this fic would further explain some of the scenes. Some scenes may overlap, but others are new. Would be written mainly on the point of views of the seniors. Note that flashbacks are in Italics.

May be a little bit more romantic as compared to the other fic. I feel that Tezuka is more of a romantic type as compared to Echizen. XD

Summary: Seigaku had won the Nationals, and one year later, Echizen became the new captain of Seigaku after he was appointed by Tezuka. But how are Tezuka and the others doing now that they have left Seishun Gakuen?

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 1

_**A year ago**_

"_Tezuka. It is time." Oishi said softly._

_Tezuka nodded to show that he understood. It was the end of their last practice session, and now both he and Oishi would be announcing the new captain and vice-captain for next year._

_Oishi clapped his hands twice, bringing everyone's attention to him._

"_Members! Assemble at once!" Tezuka ordered._

_He waited until all of them were lined up according to their years, while the regulars made a straight line before him._

_Subconsciously, he found his gaze wandering over to a short freshman standing between Momoshiro and Fuji. Apparently Echizen was looking at him as well._

_He looked away hurriedly and gave his speech before anyone caught him staring, though it seemed that Fuji had already caught him, the smiling tensai was giving him a knowing look, even though his eyes were still slits._

"_As you all know, today would be our last day together. I wish to thank all of you for your support. Thanks to everyone, we have managed to get into the Nationals, and even won it. I hope that you will carry Seigaku's fighting spirit in you, even after we third years have left this school."_

_Tezuka felt that he was done with his speech. He was not the type to speak much, and as long as he gets his point across, he would stop speaking after that._

_Oishi took over next. "I thank you all for the support you've given us during our time as captain and vice-captain. Winning the Nationals was our greatest achievement, and I've thoroughly enjoyed our time together. You guys would have to defend our championship once we're gone, and I have faith in all of you. Who knows, we may meet up with each other again in the future…"_

_As Oishi was speaking, Tezuka's gaze wandered off to Ryoma again, only to find the first year staring at him blankly. Tezuka frowned slightly. Why was Ryoma not paying attention to their parting words? Then again, perhaps Ryoma was keeping his attention focused on him? Tezuka felt his heart leap with hope at that thought._

_Everyone clapped as Oishi finished his speech. Ryoma jumped as he was brought back to reality. Tezuka felt his heart fell. So the first year was only daydreaming after all. To think that he had gotten so hopeful. Tezuka turned away from the boy. He noticed that Fuji was grinning openly now, and knew that the tensai must have guessed his feelings for the green-haired prodigy._

_As Tezuka did not speak, Oishi cleared his throat and continued. "Alright! The captain and I will now renounce our positions, as we will be graduating. We have our successors in mind. Tezuka?"_

_Seigaku's stoic captain got the hint. He had already made up his mind on his successor since way back, and now, he spoke with confidence._

"_For the position of Captain of the Seigaku Tennis Club, I have selected Echizen Ryoma to take over my post."_

_He had chanced a glance at the boy, who didn't look too happy even though everyone around him was clapping. A twinge of fear bit Tezuka's heart. Did he make the wrong decision in choosing Echizen? Ryoma pulled his cap down, covering his face. "Usu." He said._

_While Momoshiro and Fuji fussed over boy wonder, Oishi spoke up next._

"_As for my position, the position of Vice-captain of Seigaku, I find that the best person to fit this is Momoshiro Takeshi."_

_Momoshiro's reaction was immediate. "Eh???" he exclaimed._

_For a while, some of the members had their jaws hanging open, then applause broke out again. Oishi was glad that they had no objections to it._

_Tezuka had no idea what happened, but one moment, Momoshiro looked like he was about to protest or reject the position. The next moment, however…_

"_I accept that position! I will become a vice-captain who is a good as Oishi-senpai was!"_

_As Oishi started chuckling beside him, Tezuka had a faint idea of what caused Momoshiro to act this way, seeing that he and Kaidou were now having a glaring competition. He considered marking his last day as captain by making them run laps, but decided against it soon enough._

"_Alright. That's all for today. You're all dismissed." He announced._

_Everyone gave their thanks and left, all eager to go back home. Tezuka noticed that Ryoma made his way to the locker room._

"_You guys go on ahead. I would like to have a last word with Ryusaki-sensei." Tezuka said._

_Oishi nodded. "Alright then. See you tomorrow, Tezuka." He had barely finished his sentence when Eiji grabbed him by the arm._

"_Nya! To think that we'll be graduating soon. After that, holidays! I'm so happy!" Eiji practically danced around his doubles' partner. _

_Oishi laughed. Eiji's optimistic ways were contagious. "I wonder which high school would we be going to. Say, Eiji. Wouldn't you be sad leaving Seishun Gakuen?"_

_Eiji stopped dancing around for a moment. He frowned. "Of course I'll be. I will not be able to see my classmates anymore, and all the sensei, and all the tennis club members. Mou…I'm going to miss Momoshiro, Kaidou and Ochibi. Especially Ochibi. I'm not surprised that he's made captain though." Eiji laughed at that and started bouncing about again. Seigaku's acrobat never had a lack of energy._

"_It is a sad thing indeed, but graduating is also a happy thing. We would be entering high school, and we would be meeting new friends, wouldn't we? Taka-san. Which high school are you targeting?" Fuji asked._

_Kawamura looked embarrassed. "I'm not going to high school."_

"_Hoi?" Eiji stopped bouncing to stare at him._

"_I've mentioned before. My dream was to make it to the Nationals, and to play tennis with all my heart. We've won the Nationals, and I have no more regrets. I can now focus on taking over my father's shop, like what I promised him. I'll make Kawamura Sushi the best in the region." He said proudly._

_Fuji nodded with understanding. Eiji looked sad, while Oishi patted Kawamura's shoulder. "I'm sure you will. Go for it." The mother-hen gave his encouragement._

_Inui was busy writing down some things in his book. As the four of them approached him, he looked up, his glasses glinting slightly. "There is a 100 percent chance that you're going to ask me which high school I'm going to." He stated._

"_Hey Inui. Which high school are you…hoi?" Eiji realized what Inui had said._

_Fuji, Kawamura and Oishi laughed as Eiji's face turned red with embarrassment. Inui grinned and wrote down some more data. Oishi caught the words 'easily embarrassed. Blush spreads to 45 percent of his face'._

"_There is a 95 percent chance that you are not going to the same high school as I am." Inui stated._

"_Do tell us which one you are going to." Fuji said._

_Inui adjusted his glasses. "Rikkai Dai. I've decided to join the same school as my old pal Renji."_

_While most schools only catered for junior high education, and students would have to change to another school to receive senior high education, Rikkai University catered for both junior high and senior high. _

_Fuji's eyes opened at that. "I see. So you would most likely be one of our opponents in the future matches."_

_Inui's glasses glinted. "Of course. Don't expect me to go easy on you just because you were my former teammates. I have all your data with me."_

_Eiji clung onto Oishi as a shiver ran through him. Inui was a very scary opponent to fight with. Not to mention once he was reunited with his ex doubles partner Yanagi, they would become more powerful than the golden pair. Who knows, they might have to come up with a new name for them, like the Shining Pair or something._

"_Now all I have to figure out is how to achieve Synchro like the golden pair…" he muttered to himself._

_Kikumaru felt his hopes lift. He had completely forgotten that both he and Oishi reached the highest level of doubles in the Nationals. Synchronization allowed both of the doubles partners to move as one, and their every move coordinated perfectly. It was as if they could read each other's thoughts._

_Inui looked at his watch. "I would take my leave now. Was hoping to utilize the school's chemistry lab to the fullest and finish my Inui's Hyper-remix Cow-dung Juice before I graduate. If any of you want a taste, be sure to look for me in lab 5."_

"_We…we'll pass. Ah, look at the time. We'd better go and change." Oishi grabbed Kikumaru's arm and fled towards the locker rooms. Inui turned his attention to Kawamura, who fled too. Lastly, Inui looked hopefully at Fuji, who was the only one with some resistance to his drinks._

_To his dismay, Fuji gave him a hawk's stare. "Sorry, Inui. Not this time." He said, his smile gone. Inui noted that Fuji had paled and made a mental note to add it in his notebook._

"_Ah well, that's too bad. I was hoping for that 5 percent chance that you might help me taste it. Well, I'll see you tomorrow then." Inui walked off._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

"_So Oishi, which school are you going to?" Eiji asked as he changed into his uniform._

_Oishi placed his Seigaku's jersey in his locker and closed it. "About that, my mother was hoping for me to enter Kanto High. After all, that school is known to produce the brainiest graduates."_

"_That school would be difficult for me to enter, nya. I heard that the entrance exams are disastrous." Eiji pouted._

_Fuji gave a smile at that. "Saa…you may never know until you try, Eiji." He tried to cheer up his best friend._

"_I'll revise with you during the holidays, then we'll take the exams together. What do you think, Eiji?" Oishi suggested._

_His partner brightened up immediately. "Definitely! I want to go to the same school as Oishi, and the Golden Pair would be revived again! Let's aim for Kanto High!" he pumped a fist into the air._

_With that said, he turned towards Fuji. "Fuji! You must come with us to Kanto High as well!"_

"_I'll think about it. I wonder which school is Tezuka going to enroll in?" Fuji said._

_Right at that moment, Eiji's stomach grumbled. He gave an embarrassed laugh as the others chuckled._

"_Alright then. Let's all go to my dad's shop for dinner." Kawamura suggested._

"_Hoi! Hoi! Let's go!" Eiji said happily. Like Momoshiro, Eiji was a glutton when it comes to food. It was a surprise how he still kept his lean frame._

"_You want to come along, Echizen?" Kawamura asked._

"_Echizen?" the other three echoed in surprise before looking around the room. It was only then they realized that Ryoma had been seated on the bench all these time, and had probably been there even before they entered the locker room._

_Ryoma held an unopened can of Ponta in his hand, with his eyes fixed upon it. He looked to be in a gloomy mood, and they have never seen him to be so quiet before. Even though the anti-social never spoke much, it was never to this extent._

_Eiji was not as sharp as the other three when it comes to this. He turned to Oishi._

"_Does Ochibi need to look at the expiry date that long?" he asked._

"_No Eiji. Echizen is deep in thought. Let's leave him alone." Oishi said sagely, taking his doubles' partner's hand and steering him out._

_Fuji usually could read others like an open book, but this time even he did not know what was going on in his junior's mind. He was the last to leave the room as he gave one last look at Ryoma, who did not seem to notice their presence in the first place._

_Eiji was happily going "Sushi! Sushi!", while Oishi was laughing at his childishness._

_As Fuji made to follow them, he caught Tezuka coming from the opposite direction. The former captain had made sure everything was in order and the courts were cleaned first before heading for his locker._

"_Tezuka!" Fuji jogged up to his classmate._

_Tezuka looked at the tensai questioningly, his expression unchanging._

"_We're going off to Kawamura Sushi now. You are free to join us if you'd like. However, I think you might want to have a talk with Echizen in there. He has barely moved at all since we went in, and seemed to be depressed."_

_That caused a slight change as Tezuka's mask slipped. He looked worried. "I understand." He hurried to look for the boy._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_As Tezuka entered the room, he saw what Fuji meant immediately. Ryoma made no indication that he was aware of someone coming in. In fact, his hand still held an unopened can of Ponta. If Ryoma wasn't drinking his favourite drink immediately after he bought it, it was a sign that something was VERY wrong with the boy._

_Tezuka felt a twinge of guilt. Ryoma had been like this ever since he announced that the boy was the next captain. Perhaps he should have consulted the prodigy about it first before making this decision._

_Tezuka walked up to Ryoma and stood before him._

"_Were you that troubled by my decision to make you captain?" _

_Surprisingly, the boy looked up. "Buchou…" he muttered almost inaudibly._

_Tezuka sat down beside the boy. He wondered if Ryoma was going to pull out from this. Next to him, Ryoma was staring at his can of Ponta again._

"_Buchou…was it really a wise idea to pick me as captain?" Ryoma spoke up suddenly, his voice filled with uncertainty._

_It was only then when it hit Tezuka. Ryoma was having cold feet about this. He nearly laughed in relief at that realization. He smiled as he was reminded of the time Yamato-buchou picked him as captain. He had repeatedly asked the captain if he had made the right choice, to the point that Yamato-senpai had threatened to force feed him wasabi if he asked the question again._

"_I have no doubt about it, Echizen. When you first came to the club, you were unlike any other first year I've seen, with such outstanding skills you could even fight against adults. However, you lacked the spirit and determination to win, as all you thought about was beating your father in tennis."_

_Tezuka paused, recalling his match with the boy under the bridge. He had beaten Ryoma then, and found out the reason why Ryoma played tennis. It had been the wrong reason, and Tezuka felt that it would be a waste of talents if someone did not show Ryoma the true meaning of tennis. It was then Tezuka decided to guide Ryoma to becoming Seigaku's pillar of support._

"_You have changed. In just a year you have grown to become one who loves tennis for what it is, and not just to beat a single person. You too have learnt what the meaning of responsibility is, seeing how you were so determined to not let your teammates down during all the matches. I have faith in you, that you would become a great captain. You should have more confidence in yourself as well."_

_Ryoma became silent at that, and Tezuka wondered if the boy had gone into a slump again._

_Slowly, he reached out and took Ryoma's hand, trying to reassure the boy. He was glad that Ryoma did not shake him off, so he might have a little hope with the boy after all._

_Both of them sat in silence, for even then, they communicate quite well, being the types who do not speak much._

_Tezuka spoke up first. "I'll be leaving Seigaku to you then, Echizen."_

"_Usu." Ryoma gave his reply, and Tezuka felt the boy give a gentle squeeze, causing his heart to leap._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_Two weeks later, the holidays started. On the last day of school, as Tezuka walked home with Echizen, Ryoma had mentioned that he would be going back to his U.S. home during the holidays._

_Tezuka sat at his study table, looking at the small slip of paper in his hand fondly. He did not know what had possessed him that day, but after Ryoma had said that, Tezuka had immediately asked for his e-mail address. He wanted to make sure that they could keep in contact._

_To his delight, Ryoma gave it to him, and so they exchanged e-mails quite frequently._

_Tezuka logged in to his account and saw another new message in his inbox. Surely enough…_

_From: Echizen Ryoma_

_**Hey, it's been a really busy day here. That baka oyaji is now making me play tennis daily; I wonder what's wrong with him. Okaa-san mentioned that it was because he had at last found his true opponent. I managed to beat him in one game, 6 games to 3, and all of sudden he went into Ten'i Muhou no Kiwami mode. After that, I lost to him for 3 straight games before I went into the same mode and managed to beat him.**_

_Tezuka chuckled. Ryoma's messages were always short and sweet. He could almost picture the boy typing this with a smug grin, especially when he mentioned about beating his own father._

_Tezuka gave his reply, updating Ryoma about Inui taking the entrance exams to Rikkai Dai, and passing it without any problems. Kikumaru has been going to Oishi's place frequently, as the entrance exams to Kanto High were just around the corner. The ex-teammates met up frequently at Kawamura Sushi, where Takashi was training under his father. Even Inui joined them. Momoshiro and Kaidou too made that place their favourite hideout, though the two rivals tend to end up in a food fight._

_Currently, Tezuka too had to prepare for his entrance exams. He never told the others, but he was heading for Kanto High as well. It had been his first choice, considering he wanted to be a doctor, and this place's education was the most renowned in the whole region._

_TENNISTENNISTENNISTENNISTENNISTENNISTENNISTENNISTENNISTENNISTENNISTENNISTENNNIS_

_A month later, Tezuka found himself in front of his targeted high school. Kanto High was a very huge place, with very good facilities for studying. After checking the list and making a mental note to where he would be taking the exams, he made his way to exam hall 5._

_He had barely sat down when he heard a familiar voice. "Tezuka!" _

_Oishi came jogging up to him, looking absolutely delighted. _

"_What a surprise. You're coming to this school as well. I can't really find any familiar faces in this school, but it looks like only you and I are in this exam hall. Fuji is in hall 3 while Eiji is in hall 9, the last hall."_

_Tezuka's eyes widened slightly. One hall was enough to hold nearly a hundred students. 9 halls?_

_Oishi noted this, even though it barely showed on Tezuka's face. He had known Tezuka long enough to interpret even his expressionless face._

"_Ah, I know. This place is very sought after, considering its reputation. The competition would be great. I've revised a lot with Eiji, but I hope his nerves do not get to him first."_

_He didn't have much time to say anymore, as the examiner had entered and all of them hurried back to their seats._

_A few hours later, Tezuka picked up his bag and packed his stationary. Eiji and Fuji came over to their hall. Eiji was looking white and rather shaky, "Oishi! I'm not sure if I can make it into this school. The questions were so hard!" the boy wailed. Fuji on the other hand looked relaxed, and by the looks of it, he must have breezed through the questions, as Tezuka himself had._

"_Hmm, Tezuka. You're coming into this school as well? That's good." Fuji sounded delighted. At least four of the regulars were here then._

_All of them made their way to Kawamura Sushi to tell Takashi, Momoshiro, Kaidou and Inui about the exams. At the sight of food, Eiji had cheered up immediately and was even fighting over the last pieces with Momoshiro. _

"_You know, I haven't seen Ochibi at all during the holidays. I wonder where is he?" Kikumaru spoke up with a full mouth._

_Momoshiro nodded. "Every time I go to his house, there seems to be no one in it."_

"_He had gone back to America." Tezuka stated casually. _

_All eyes turned to the former captain. _

"_Eh?! How can that be? Isn't he supposed to be the captain next year?" Momoshiro protested._

"_He'll be back just before the holidays end. Echizen is just taking this opportunity to visit some relatives who are still in America." Tezuka explained._

_Eiji snorted. "That Ochibi. Why didn't he tell us anything about it? Also, how is it that you know so much?" _

"_Saa…I wonder too." Fuji said, his voice hinting that he __**knew**__ the reason why. Inui gave a cough and buried his face behind his notebook. Oishi had turned red._

"_He just told me about it before the holidays. That's all." He preferred not to talk about it anymore._

_For a while, the topic was focused on Ryoma, and Tezuka fidgeted slightly. Eventually, the talk turned towards the exams, and Eiji was all upset again. When he realized he had gotten a lot of the same answers Fuji had, however, he brightened up._

_Tezuka absent mindedly reached for a rather large sushi and popped it into his mouth without looking. Fuji had been trying to reach for the same sushi as well, and as he stared at Tezuka chewing, he looked highly amazed._

"_Tezuka. Are you aware that you've just eaten Kawamura Sushi's spiciest Volcanic Wasabi sushi?"_

_Tezuka was aware of it, as the flavour had exploded in his mouth upon contact. Still, his perfectly trained mask did not break, even though his tear bags were screaming to release their fluids._

"_So?" he asked casually, glad that his voice did not betray the fact that he was actually choking._

_Everyone applauded, even Kawamura, the culprit who made that sushi. Tezuka sipped his tea with a lot of self-control, so that he wouldn't end up gulping it down. He had a reputation to keep. At least the tea helped to ease the spicy flavour from his mouth. Inui noted this down in his book. _

_Once Tezuka was done, he set the cup down. "Gochisousama. The sushi was delicious. I had better head back now. See you all again."_

_He left, and once he was far away from his friends, his eyes streamed. It was a miracle how he managed to hold on when he was with them. That wasabi sushi was a killer. He made a mental note to use it as a punishment, should he ever become captain again. Now, it was time for him to give Ryoma an update._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_Their e-mails were getting more frequent. Tezuka always felt a sense of delight every time he found a new message from Ryoma. He didn't want to delete any of the messages, and his inbox was getting quite full._

_He had just updated Ryoma two days ago about his successful admission into Kanto High, as he had scored distinctions. Fuji had the highest score amongst all the examinees. Oishi was somewhere in the middle and Kikumaru had just managed to scrape past. So it was, that all four of them were now students of Kanto High._

_He opened the next mail from Ryoma. _

_**That's great! Give the others my congratulations as well. Oh yeah, today I met up with Kevin Smith, I think you still remember that boy. The one with blonde hair, and had copied my skills during the friendly match against the U.S.**_

_Tezuka remembered him alright. He could never forget the friendly match. Before that, when Ryoma did not make it into the list of players, Kevin had challenged him and Ryoma gladly accepted the challenge. When Ryoma got stubborn, Tezuka had slapped him to get him back to his senses. It was something Tezuka regretted till now._

_**Anyway, we had a match, and while he was still able to copy some of my skills, like twist serve and tornado smash, he was not able to copy the more difficult ones, like cool drive and Echizen zone. I won the game 6 to 4.**_

_That's good. Tezuka thought, sipping on his coffee. As he read the next few lines, however, he spat out his drink._

_**I'm not too sure, but later Kevin said something along the lines of me becoming his. I'm not an item. I can't become his! Or was he referring to my skills? Maybe he wanted my skills? Then Kevin kept clinging on to my arm, it was difficult to walk. Honestly, if I hadn't known better, I'd say he was flirting or something.**_

_He WAS flirting! Tezuka thought furiously. Ryoma really was too innocent. Before he knew what he was doing, he had dialed the number to Ryoma's U.S house so fast that his fingers were a blur._

_The person who first picked up, however, wasn't Ryoma._

"_Ah, Jasmine-chan! I'm so sorry about putting down the phone so fast, but my wife was looking at me." A man's voice had said over the other end upon picking up._

_For a while, Tezuka was tongue-tied, not knowing how to respond to that. He forgot what he had called for, but remembered soon enough._

"_Urm, excuse me. I am Tezuka Kunimitsu, Ryoma's friend. Could I speak to him please?_

_The man on the other end, most likely Ryoma's 'baka oyaji', suddenly changed his tone upon realizing it was a man on the phone, and not 'Jasmine-chan.'_

"_Eh? Ryoma. Eh, alright. Tezuka you said? I've heard Ryoma mention your name quite a number of times. You're his buchou, aren't you? Hope my Ryoma hasn't been giving too much trouble…"_

"_Oyaji! Who are you talking to?" Tezuka could hear Ryoma's voice somewhere in the background._

"_Oh, you're here already. Here." The man had handed the phone over to Ryoma._

_The prodigy picked up the phone. "Hello?" he asked._

_Tezuka's heart skipped a beat at how different Echizen sounded. His voice was no longer boyish, and was now deeper, like a man's. Then again, Echizen should be having a growth spurt by now._

"_Echizen, it's me." He replied._

"_Buchou?" Echizen sounded surprised. _

_There was an awkward pause. Tezuka was bad with words, as he hardly spoke. On the other end, Ryoma was obviously waiting for him to speak._

"_Er…I was just wondering…how are things over at your side?" Tezuka began lamely._

"_Same as always. What about your side?"_

"_Oh, same here too."_

_Had anyone been listening in on them, this has got to be the weirdest phone conversation as the topics switched from the weather to the news to the flowers and trees, and it was a whole 15 minutes before Tezuka finally gathered his courage to ask about Kevin Smith._

"_Urm…after what you e-mailed to me, he didn't do anything else, did he?" he asked._

_On the other end, Ryoma snorted. "He was really persistent. He kept saying that he fell for me after the US-Japan match. I rejected him though."_

_Tezuka's heart did a victory dance, but he realized that might mean Ryoma wasn't interested in men, perhaps not even in the slightest bit, and he felt nervous again._

"_Echizen…"_

"_Nani?" the boy asked._

_It was a full minute before Tezuka posed the question._

"_Will you go out with me?"_

_Tezuka had completely forgotten that the person at the other end was Echizen, the innocent, absolutely clueless Echizen. He remembered soon enough, as Ryoma's reply came from the other end._

"_Go where? I hope you haven't forgotten that I'm all the way in America, and you're in Japan."_

_Tezuka sighed. With Ryoma, he had to be more direct._

"_Is it alright if we starting seeing each other?"_

"_That depends. Do you have webcam?"_

_By now, Tezuka wondered if he really wanted to start dating boy wonder who could be really thick about these kind of things._

"_I mean that, I would like to date you."_

_This time, a long pause. Tezuka wondered what Ryoma would be saying to this. To his surprise, Ryoma seemed to have caught the message this round._

"_You mean…like us becoming boyfriends?" Ryoma asked uncertainly._

"_Yes." Tezuka affirmed._

_Another long pause. By then, had Tezuka been Inui, he would have said something along the lines of "there is a 65 percent chance that Echizen would reject me"_

"_Okay." Echizen gave his reply._

_The answer was so unexpected that Tezuka couldn't believe his ears. "What?" he asked stupidly._

"_I said okay. I wouldn't mind dating you."_

_Echizen's voice was without feeling, so Tezuka couldn't quite guess what the boy was thinking. Then again, this was Echizen, so a flat tone was a normal thing. It was his reply that mattered._

"_I see." Tezuka had trouble keeping the happiness from his voice._

_Ryoma seemed to have detected it though. He chuckled. "I'll be back in Japan soon. The holidays are ending anyway. Will tell you more with e-mails. By the way, isn't this a long-distance call you're doing?"_

_Tezuka remembered it just as Ryoma mentioned that. "You're right. I'll see you when you return then."_

"_Good night, buchou." Ryoma said, his voice with just a hint of gentleness. Tezuka put down the phone, feeling that even if the world ended tomorrow, he would die a happy man._

_Now, he was even looking forward to life in senior high…provided he survived the day the phone bill arrives…_

_To be continued…_

A/N: To think that I've written a whole chapter based on flashbacks only… I hope it's alright with you people.

Gah, after rereading the story, I wonder if I've repeated too many of the conversations. My greatest worry for this companion fic was that there would be quite a number of repetitions, especially the conversations. It would be weird if the characters said one thing in this fic, and said a completely different thing in the other fic altogether.

Will try to drop unimportant scenes from either of the two fics. The main focus for both of the fics is their school life after all.

Alright, the next chapter would be back to present time. If at any time I need to add flashbacks, I would be using Italics.

By the way, about the Ten'i Muhou thingy, the explanation is done in chapter 2 of 'Echizen, Our Buchou' There would be a lot of major spoilers too though.

P.S. My fics would be following mainly on the plot of the manga, though I've also included the US-Japan match episodes, which are not found in the manga.

Please read and review.

-Gwyn


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. I can only wish that I own Tezuka and Ryoma. Sigh…**

**Warnings: May contain spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Also, my chapters tend to be very, very long…**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen. Possible Oishi X Kikumaru, depending on how you interpret it.**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 3 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: This fic is strictly shonen-ai only, as I can't and don't write Yaoi. However, I might leave some parts vague so that it would be free for interpretation. Hope yaoi lovers would be happy then. lol

Thank you all for your reviews. They help to keep my spirits up, and my stories going. XD

Righto. The previous chapter was merely an introduction, as well as an explanation for some of the scenes in Echizen, Our Buchou. Not to mention it at least explained which schools each of the members went to.

The real story starts from this chapter onwards…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 2

A strong gust of wind blew, whipping strands of brown hair into the face of a certain blue-eyed tensai.

Fuji Syuusuke brushed his hair out of his face, straightened the strap of his bag and looked up at his new school.

The building was huge and white. The words 'Kanto Senior High' stood out proudly. Many of the students were seen walking into the school, and Fuji hastened to follow them.

He had barely entered when he felt someone grab him in a bear hug.

"Fuji! You're finally here! Oishi and I waited so long, nya!" Kikumaru said happily.

Fuji smiled. Trust Eiji to be so lively on the first day. "So sorry. I had nee-san tell my fortune first before coming here. I wonder what she meant by we would most likely be suffering from shocks these few days…"

All three of them had changed a little. Fuji looked, if possible, more feminine than ever. Oishi grew his hair out of the ridiculous hairstyle he had throughout junior high, and Kikumaru had removed the plaster from his face.

Oishi looked around. "I think we'd better head to class. We've checked the notice board, and would you believe it! All four of us are in the same class! Odd isn't it?"

"What do you mean odd? I'm so glad that none of us are separated to different classes." Kikumaru looked around. "I don't see Tezuka."

"He's most likely already here, knowing him. Also, I have a rough idea of where we might be able to find him. Let's ask around for the directions to the tennis clubs." Fuji said.

He stopped a passing sophomore. The senior looked at him through his thick glasses. "May I help you?" the man asked politely.

'They sure are well-mannered. This school lived up to its name for producing the best students.' Fuji thought.

"We're new in this school, and we're still not too familiar with our surroundings. Could you please give us the directions to the tennis courts?"

It was as if Fuji had said something offensive, for the man's polite demeanour melted, and a sneer came onto his face. "Oh. So you're just one of those students, eh? All you think about is coming all the way to this school to _play_. Why did you even bother enrolling in here anyway? This school's results are the best, and we don't need people who are not seriously into studying."

Fuji was taken aback, not knowing what he had said. Kikumaru scowled. "What on earth is wrong with you? Fuji was just asking for the directions to the tennis club, is there something wrong with that?"

"Hmph. There is no point in joining clubs like that. It would get you nowhere in the future. The school's motto is to produce the brainiest students, and not the clumsiest students. Take my advice. Now that you're in this school, you're expected to perform well academically. Even if you won the gold cup in any of the sports, it holds no value in Kanto High. Ceh…why am I even talking with losers like you? You're all probably in _that_ class."

The sophomore walked off, leaving them all behind without answering Fuji's question. Oishi placed a reassuring hand on Fuji's shoulder, being the mother-hen he is. "Don't take it to heart, Fuji. That guy was probably in a bad mood."

"I understand." Fuji noticed that many of the students who have heard the sophomore's outburst were now whispering amongst themselves. He wondered if coming here was the right thing, as he caught a few words from the students like "Don't go near them." "They're tennis players!" and "Bad influence…"

"Fuji, Oishi, Kikumaru." A familiar voice called them.

All three turned their head towards the speaker. They had never been so relieved to see Tezuka.

The brunette came up to them, his face so dark that it was a surprise thunderclouds weren't rolling in the skies yet.

"Follow me, and whatever you do, do not bring up the subject of 'sports' in this school." The ex-captain said quietly.

Fuji had a feeling that Tezuka must have had the same problem earlier. Knowing Tezuka, he would most likely have learnt as much about this school as he could by now.

"I was here 30 minutes ago, and like you, I asked for the tennis clubs. It seems that almost all the students here look down upon those who are joining sport clubs. I had a look around and found the tennis courts."

He led them for a long while, and finally they reached the courts. Kikumaru gave a yell of horror as the court came into view, Oishi looked stricken, and Fuji's eyes opened.

"It…it's haunted!" the acrobatic player wailed.

The courts looked so rundown; it was completely out of place in this super classy looking school. There were only two courts side by side, and one of them was already unusable, as it was overgrown with trees. The remaining court's ground was uneven, and they could see holes in the fence surrounding the court.

"I've only been able to conclude that this is rarely used. I have no idea what had happened, but a trend had spread in this school, where the students focus only on their studies, and those involves in any kind of sports are treated as outcasts." Tezuka said quietly.

Fuji sighed. "I understand now why this school has the highest scores in the whole nation every year. The students here do nothing but study."

"Wouldn't it be boring for them?" Kikumaru asked.

Oishi had a hard look on his face. "Tezuka. Do you think our promise to make it into the Nationals still stand?"

"Of course." Tezuka replied.

"We'll talk about this later. We have to get to class." Tezuka led the way back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It did not miss Tezuka's and Fuji's attention as to why they were all in the same class. Sweeping his gaze across the room, he could tell, by their built and by the way they carried themselves, that many of the other students in here were sportsmen as well.

One student, who had a head full of bright red hair, gave a grin and offered a hand to Tezuka. "Welcome to class L, or losers, as the other students call it, though officially it stands for the Last Class. This is where they throw all the students who have the worst results in the exams, and those who are involved in any activity that has nothing to do with studies. I can see that all of you are intending to join some clubs as well?"

Tezuka frowned at him, and the boy retracted his hand. Fuji placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "He's always like that. You'd have to get used to his expressionless face. We're trying to get into the tennis club."

"Good luck to you. Every year, there would be definitely one or two clubs shutting down. Gymnastics and basketball fell last year. Currently, only a handful of sports clubs are left. I do hope the track team hasn't fallen yet."

"What is with this school, anyway? I've never seen a high school that placed so little emphasis on co-curricular activities before." Kikumaru sat down on a table opposite of the boy.

The boy sighed. "It's true. This school was once well-known for both its brainy as well as athletic students. A few years ago, after a new headmaster came into power, he implemented a new system, and everything became exam based. Many of the students were not able to juggle between their studies and the co-curricular activities, so one by one, they began quitting. The headmaster of course encouraged the new trend, and so Kanto High became well known for its results, but nothing else."

The redhead sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Everyone now takes the remaining sportsmen as losers. To them, those who engage in these activities are people whose only good points are sports. In their opinion, we can't study well, and are the types to fail our exams often. Although I must say that there are a handful of black sheep who prove this theory right, the rest of us are sticking to our love of our sports, and we are trying to prove them wrong."

"How do you know so much anyway?" Oishi asked, interrupting his speech.

"My brother used to be in this school. He was bullied so badly that he had to pull out from this school last year. The basketball club fell along with him." The boy explained quietly.

The four ex-students of Seishun Gakuen noticed how the boy's expression had become sad, and all of them wisely kept their silence. After a while the boy smiled again.

"Well, I haven't introduced myself yet. Asakawa Kantarou, from Okane Gakuen."

"I'm Oishi Syuichirou. These are my friends-Kikumaru Eiji, Fuji Syuusuke and Tezuka Kunimitsu. We're all from Seishun Gakuen."

"Ah. If I'm not mistaken your Seigaku had won the Nationals last year. I've heard your name quite a few times." The last sentence was directed at Tezuka.

Just then, they heard footsteps coming towards their class. Asakawa hurriedly slid into his seat.

"It's most likely the student council, here to announce which club has fallen. The student council are the headmaster's greatest supporters." He whispered hurriedly.

The door slid open, and five third-years stepped in. All five of them had an imposing aura around them, and as one of them, whom Tezuka presumed was the president, came to the teacher's unoccupied desk and stood there, the whole class fell silent.

All eyes were turned towards the golden-haired bishonen, who swept his mocking gaze across the class, his nose wrinkling slightly.

"Greetings, freshmen. **I** am the student council president, Kitsune Mafuyu. **I** was asked by the headmaster to ::cough::welcome::cough:: you new students to Kanto High. There would be no classes for you today, as all L classes would begin next week. You are free to look around the school and join your clubs. That is all **I** have to say."

By the way the student council president always raised his tone when he said the word "I", the former Seigaku students were wondering if he was distantly related to a certain spoilt, arrogant Hyotei captain.

The smirk on the president's face got worse as many of the students began cheering at the news. "Classes are starting next week! We're free for the whole of these 6 days!" One student cheered, and many others joined him.

"Oishi! We would be able to have enough time to sign up for the tennis clubs, nya!" Kikumaru bounced up and down, holding his doubles' partner's hands.

"I…I guess so, Eiji." Oishi smiled weakly.

"How predictable. These people truly are losers. How did they even get into Kanto High in the first place?" Kitsune said to himself. Sweeping his gaze around the whole class, three students caught his attention, for all three were not celebrating like the others. On the contrary, the three were giving him disgusted glares. Kitsune made a mental note about these three: one had red hair, and two had brown hair.

He raised a hand and once more, the students sat in their seats silently.

"Also, **I'm** proud to announce that…" Here, the students looked eager to hear what the news was. The four Seigaku students and Asakawa tensed, as they knew what was coming up next. "…another five more clubs have shut down. There will no longer be a netball club, a bowling team, an aquatic club, a volleyball club and a track team."

He was smiling so brightly at that, it was as if he had just announced the news that Linkin Park was coming to perform in Kanto High, and was expecting everyone to cheer at the news.

A groan rang through the class, followed on by loud protests. Asakawa looked clearly stricken at the news. "The track team is gone? I really am too late…"

"We still have a chance. The tennis club seems to be alright." Oishi whispered. Both Tezuka and Fuji, who were seated in front of Oishi and Kikumaru, nodded at that.

Ignoring their protests, and the fact that the students looked like they were going to pick up their chairs and throw it at the president, Kitsune continued on. "It is only a matter of time before the other clubs cease their activities. We are still…negotiating with their presidents and captains. In time, **I** know that you would all get your priorities right. We need students in this school, not players. For anyone who doesn't keep up, you would find yourselves dropping out eventually. **I** can give you my assurance on that."

It was disturbing how Kitsune was able to say such terrible news and still retain that pride in his voice. To all of the students, that was not something to be proud of.

"Very well then. Run along to your clubs now. There is no point staying in class for you people, so you might as well go out and do something useful." The whole of the student council left after those words. The L class could hear them talking and laughing all the way down the hall.

After some time, the students began buzzing angrily amongst themselves. Asakawa still had his head in his hands.

"I think you noticed it too, Tezuka," Fuji said quietly.

"Aa." Was Tezuka's short reply.

Fuji turned to Oishi and Kikumaru. "Maybe the two haven't noticed it yet, but it wasn't a good thing when that fox (A/N: Kitsune means fox) said that we were getting the whole week off. He actually meant that no teacher would bother coming to this class, since this is class L. I don't think they would place much emphasis on this class."

"You are correct, Fuji-kun." Asakawa said. He looked so lifeless now that the tennis players felt their heart ache. "The sophomores and the third years of class L would most likely be around the school compound as well. Each year, class L's lessons start a week later than the other classes. During this week, each of the clubs would try to get students to join them. Most of the clubs left are supported by their members' love for the games and sports they are playing, though many would cave in to the pressure and leave the clubs eventually."

All of them looked up as Tezuka got to his feet.

The ex-captain's stoic mask hardened. He turned and gave his fellow players a stern look.

"Minna. There is no point for us to remain here, since there would not be classes today, by the looks of it. Let's join the tennis club. We must make sure that while we're here, the club would never fall."

"Hoi, hoi! We'll pass on the Seigaku spirit!" Kikumaru agreed.

"We're right behind you, buchou." Oishi said, giving Tezuka a pat on the shoulder.

Tezuka smiled faintly, making all three of the others stare at him. Kikumaru and Oishi rubbed their eyes to see if they were only dreaming. "I'm not your captain anymore. You don't have to call me buchou."

"You will always be our captain, Tezuka." Fuji smiled.

"Lead the way, buchou." Kikumaru grinned.

As Tezuka, Oishi and Kikumaru walked out of class, Fuji turned his attention to Asakawa. "Would you like to come along?" he asked.

The redhead thought about it for a moment before giving a resigned sigh and getting to his feet.

"Why not. Haven't got anything better to do anyway."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Not too long later, all five of them found themselves standing at the courts. There were a handful of their seniors there, less than 20 of them. To think that there were so little people in the tennis clubs.

Just then, Tezuka spotted someone familiar, and his mask changed to one of surprise. Even the other three recognized the man.

"Isn't that…?"-Kikumaru

"That can't possibly be…"-Oishi

"It's him alright."-Fuji

"Yamato-buchou…"-Tezuka

Their former captain spotted the four of them, and his weary face broke into a grin. "Tezuka-kun! What a surprise to see you here. It's good to see all of you, Kikumaru-kun, Oishi-kun, Fuji-kun." He nodded to each of them in turn.

Turning his attention back to Tezuka, he gave a sigh. "I was getting worried that this year there might not be any new members joining the tennis club. While I'm glad that all of you are here, I can't help feeling that it's better if all of you leave this school. It would not be an easy school life for you once you join this club, I can tell you that."

It was a horrible feeling for the four who had been under Yamato when he was captain. Seeing him so lifeless like this, as compared to his spirited self when he was back in Seigaku, it really was a shock to all of them.

Tezuka's face was deadly serious. "We're not leaving. Also, nothing can change our minds about joining the tennis club, Yamato-buchou"

Yamato studied his junior, and seeing the determined look in Tezuka's eyes, he knew nothing could shake Tezuka once he made his mind up like this. He shook his head slightly. "That's just like you, Tezuka-kun." His smile reappeared on his face. "But then again, all of you would be able to renew the hopes of our club. I have my complete faith in you, Tezuka-kun. Glad to see I hadn't chosen the wrong pillar of support, seeing how well you've led the team to the Nationals."

"That's wasn't my effort alone. Everyone had given me their support." Tezuka cast a glance at all his ex-teammates.

"I see. Thank you all for your hard work. Kikumaru-kun, are you able to beat Oishi-kun yet?" Yamato asked.

Eiji pouted. "It's only a matter of time, but until then. I am going to remain his doubles' partner…no, even if I do beat him someday, I would still remain his doubles' partner. We would always be the Golden Pair, hoi hoi!" The last two sentences were spoken with pride.

Oishi laughed lightly. "He has already overtaken me, Yamato-buchou."

"Ah. One more thing. Don't call me buchou. I'm not the captain this round." He nodded in the direction of one particularly plump member who looked like he couldn't even hold a racket properly. "Sino-san is the captain. The guy next to him, Kira-san is vice-captain."

"They don't look very good at playing, nya…" Kikumaru stated honestly.

"Eiji! Don't say such things!" Oishi chided his pal.

"Come with me, all of you. Ah, so sorry, I didn't notice that you had a friend with you. You are…?" Yamato had just noticed Asakawa, since he was being so quiet.

"Asakawa Kantarou." The boy said.

"I see. You're the younger brother of Asakawa Keisuke-kun, aren't you? I'm so sorry about your brother. Is he doing alright now?" Yamato's voice was filled with concern.

Kantarou nodded without saying anything. The tennis players gave Yamato a questioning look. He beckoned all of them to follow him out of the courts. When Yamato had led all of them out of the earshot of the other members, he began filling his juniors on what he knew so far.

"I heard that the school became like this just a couple of years before I entered here. This is just a rumour, but the headmaster himself was formerly a student of this school. He was in the basketball club, but during his time in this school, he failed to make it to the regulars as well. Word had it that he loathed any kind of sport games after that, and I think that him changing the policy of this school had something to do with the grudge he still holds."

He gave another weary sigh before continuing. "He made it that scoring the exams is everything to this school. If you do not perform well, you would be asked to drop out. The students picked up the trend, and he encouraged it by placing the weaker students and those who are still joining clubs like these into the same class. This class, L, is not given priorities like the other classes. Students are not allowed to vote, have no say in anything, and hardly are able to hold proper classes, as most of the teachers either skip their lessons or come to class late."

He paused shortly to see the reactions of his juniors, and surely enough, all of them were looking uneasy. Tezuka's eyes were blazing fiercer than before though.

"Of course, he allowed the clubs to remain, even after the new system was implemented. It would reflect badly on him if word got out that he stopped all clubs. He just made it that the clubs started dying out one by one all on their own. Even the tennis club was not spared. Do you know that our regulars are chosen by the coach, and the captain and vice-captain are the people who have least offended him? The coach himself knows literally nothing about tennis, but the headmaster assigned him there anyway."

Yamato gave a bitter laugh. "If I hadn't seen you people today, I was just about to quit the club. By remaining here, you might be bullied by the other students. Asakawa Keisuke-kun was a classmate of mine, and a great basketball player. (Here he lowered his voice, so Kantarou couldn't hear him) Last year, a group of students ganged up on him and beat him up so badly, I don't think he's ever going to be able to play basketball again. Of course, the student council turned a blind eye to this."

"That's so unfair!" Kikumaru said angrily. Oishi hastened to calm him down. Fuji placed a hand on Kantarou's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze to reassure him.

"You'll learn more about this school eventually. I think I've scared you people enough for today. In the meantime, let's get your registration forms filled. For us L classes, lessons are in the mornings, and in the evenings we are free to do whatever we like. The tennis club's practices are on Tuesdays, Thurdays and Fridays, but since there is only one court, a number of us come for practice everyday so that we could have a chance to use the courts."

All of them went back to the courts. It seemed that another two freshmen had signed in as well. Yamato got the forms and handed it out to the five of them. Asakawa took his form and gave Yamato a stare.

"I never said I was joining." He muttered.

"It wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. I've heard from your brother that you have excellent skills in basketball, which shows that you have jump power. Also, your movement speed is super fast, and you've got great stamina, since you have experience in the track team back in your old school. With just a bit of training, you should do fine in the club." Yamato gave him a hopeful glance.

Asakawa looked rather reluctant, but he shrugged his shoulders. "Alright then. I've got no other club to join anyway."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Finally, school had ended, and an hour later, all of them were gathered at Kawamura Sushi. Kikumaru was narrating all that had happened today to Kawamura and Inui. The former's eyes were getting wider at every detail, and the latter looked as if he had known it all along.

"Inui. By any chance, was one of the reasons you went to Rikkai Dai because you _knew_ of what was going on in Kanto High?" Oishi asked.

Inui adjusted his glasses, picked up his notebook and began reading from one of the pages. "Toruwa Jun, current headmaster of Kanto High and a former student of the school. Blood type B. Born May 1st. 25 years old. Was in the basketball club, but failed to make it into the regulars because one of the students injured him, and he couldn't recover in time for the competition. Left the school a week later to join Toriyama High. Furthered his studies in Oxford, and returned later to take up the post of headmaster. Implemented exam-based education system, with the support of his assistant headmistress. Clubs are not given funding or support during his time, except the clubs that are not sport-based, and the student council."

"25 years old. He became a headmaster at such a young age? He must be a prodigy…"

"Mou…why did you not tell us earlier about all these, Inui?" Kikumaru frowned.

Inui adjusted his glasses again. "If I had told you, none of you would have entered Kanto High, and I knew that Yamato-buchou was in there as well. He could use a hand from all of you. Also, I believe your headmaster Toruwa doesn't really _hate_ sports. It just reminded him of some bad memories. According to my calculations, if you could remind him of the thrill he once felt when he had joined his club; he might actually change the system back to what it once was."

Fuji smiled. "So you're saying that we have to show him how serious we can get during our games, and how we would risk everything to see to it that our club gets into the Nationals again?"

"Exactly. It's only a 65 percent chance though. It is a 25 percent chance that his ego might hold him back from allowing the clubs to run free again, and a 10 percent chance that someone else would hold him back." Inui did not explain further, even though the others were hinting for him to elaborate on who that someone was.

"Man, this really is a headache. Here, Eiji. This is the last of the sushi, I think you might want it. Should help you cheer up." Oishi handed it to his friend.

"Sankyou, Oishi!" the acrobatic player munched happily on his prize.

Just then, someone's handphone beeped.

"Tezuka. I believe that's yours." Fuji said.

Tezuka put down his cup of tea and pulled out his phone. He hoped that it wasn't something that would cause his headache to worsen. His heart skipped a beat however, when he saw the name.

_Echizen Ryoma_

Hurriedly, he unlocked his keypad and opened the message, which was rather short.

**Buchou. Is it alright if I meet up with you around 3?**

Suddenly, Tezuka's world felt much brighter. In fact, at how he was feeling now, even if that headmaster suddenly announced that all tennis players had to shave their heads bald, he would have gladly done so.

He gave an equally short reply- **Sure**

Glancing at his watch, he realized that Ryoma's classes had just ended. Well, at least it was something to look forward to today.

"Saa…Tezuka. You look happy." Fuji stated quietly.

Tezuka's unchanging face turned to him. He never understood how Fuji could somehow see through his mask. The only other person who was able to guess his expressions was Ryoma.

"Aa." He preferred not to talk about it.

"You know, although now it would be quite a challenge for us, I'm glad all of us were able to make a new friend on the first day." Oishi suddenly said.

Kikumaru nodded enthusiastically. "His name is Asakawa Kantarou, and he was the one who spoke to us first."

"That's nice. Why don't you invite him here someday?" Kawamura asked, bringing out more sushi."

"To think that Asakawa-kun has ended up in Kanto High like his brother huh…" Inui took out another notebook from his bag and began flipping through it. "Asakawa Kantarou. Won gold medals in all the races he ever participated in. Captain of Okane Junior High's track team. Bagged first place in last year's and the year before last's cross-country event. He played basketball with his brother in junior high as well, but his brother was the better player. His brother was…"

"Alright, Inui. We know about that part already. You can stop now." Tezuka frowned.

Kikumaru looked highly impressed, while Oishi looked mildly intimidated. "Are you a stalker, Inui?" the ex-vice captain laughed.

Inui snapped his book shut. "I'm not stalking. It's a good thing to always be prepared with the data of others. You may never know when they are your opponents."

"So Asakawa-kun is more famous than I thought…however, do you think it's a good idea for him to join tennis, Tezuka?" Fuji asked.

Tezuka knew what the tensai meant. While Kantarou was fast when it comes to long distance running, they couldn't be too sure if he was good at moving fast in short distances as well. There really isn't much place to run in a tennis court compared to on a track.

"We'll have to see." He said.

All their attention turned to Kawamura when he suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh! I almost forgot! Do you know that Ryusaki-sensei's cousin had opened a new tennis equipment shop? It's just a couple of blocks away from this shop. My dad and I went to say hi to the new neighbours just yesterday. Sora-san is a very nice guy, and he sure had a lot of cool stuff in his shop! The prices are reasonable too."

"Ah. I was thinking about buying a new tennis racket. Yuuta could use one, since he broke his when he trained his Twist Spin Shot. Maybe I should get him some socks while I'm at it. Oh, and he might look cute in a cap…" The tensai with brother complex was now happily in his own world.

Tezuka got to his feet. "I have to meet up with someone later, so I'll take my leave now. See you all tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Tezuka." Oishi said, while Kikumaru waved energetically. "Bye bye!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tezuka found himself standing in front of a shop with the sign "Sora Tennis Equipment" on it.

"So this is the place?" he asked himself, reaching for the door.

He had not touched it at all, when the door opened and someone bumped into him.

"Ah, I'm sorry…Buchou!"

Tezuka stared at the boy. For a moment he couldn't recognize him, for he had grown so much during the holidays. Still, there was no mistaking that dark green hair and golden eyes, though his hair was longer now and his eyes looked slightly different. He still wore that white Fila cap of his.

"Echizen? You sure have changed." Tezuka stated. Goodness, the boy was almost up to his height. He was glad that at least he was still taller than his junior.

Ryoma smiled. "It had been a while, Buchou. Shall we go? Or are you intending to look around the shop first?"

'And choose shopping over going out with you? No way!' Tezuka thought.

"I'll come back another day then." Was what Tezuka said aloud.

Ryoma spoke to two people behind him, and it was then Tezuka realized that the boy had come here with Tomoka and Ryusaki (Sakuno) as well. He felt rather uneasy as his mind pictured the possibility that Ryoma had come with them on a date, but he managed to sweep that thought out of his mind.

'What on earth were you thinking, Tezuka Kunimitsu?' he scolded himself as both he and Ryoma left the shop.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tezuka came to school the next day feeling that the birds were chirping merrily in the air and the grass has never looked greener. Even the sneers of the other students looked amusing instead of irritating.

'To think that I still can beat Ryoma. Hasn't he already achieved the Pinnacle of Perfection?' Tezuka thought. It seemed that in terms of experience, Tezuka's was more superior as compared to Ryoma's. Still, yesterday's date was definitely enjoyable.

"Ohayou, Tezuka." Fuji smiled as he walked up to his friend. Tezuka nodded back at him in greeting.

"O…ha…you…" two voices said behind them. Oishi and Kikumaru looked exhausted, and both were trying to catch their breath.

"What happened to you two?" Fuji asked, concerned.

"Some third years of this school spotted us passing their house, and the owner released his two Alsatians." Oishi explained once he had managed to breathe normally again.

"Needless to say, we had to run all the way here! Those things were really fast!" Kikumaru complained.

(A/N: Alsatians are a breed of dogs. Just to inform those who were wondering)

"Looks like the battle had started. Interesting." Fuji chuckled.

"Ohayou, you four." Asakawa's greeting reached their ears.

The four of them greeted him. "You sure are late!" Kikumaru complained playfully.

"Ah. I had to make a U-turn back to my house to change my shirt. It started 'raining buckets' when I passed under one of the trees on the way here."

"You too huh. Looks like only Tezuka-buchou and Fuji were spared this round." Oishi said.

Fuji chuckled again. "We were lucky. Shall we make a move to the tennis courts? I don't think there'll be lessons today so let's play a few games."

They had barely moved a few steps when they heard someone clear his throat. Not too long later, Kitsune's voice was broadcasted all over the school.

"Attention to all class 1L students. Classes would be starting today for all of you, so **I **would like all of you to go to your class now."

A few students snickered as the announcement ended. "Oh? To think that they're starting classes this early? Their teacher must be really hardworking."

"Or maybe he's some crazy sports fan?"

"Let's go." Tezuka said quietly, as he noticed that Kikumaru, Oishi and Asakawa were looking ready to throw their shoes at the students. It wouldn't do them good to walk to class barefooted, and he and Fuji definitely can't carry the three of them…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They didn't have to wait long. Moments after they had settled down in their seats, the door opened and a very attractive young lady stepped in. She looked to be slightly over twenty, and was probably a fresh graduate from university.

"Good morning, class. My name is Ishii Ayaka. From today onwards, I will be your teacher. I'm afraid the teacher who was originally posted to this class had retired."

By retired, Fuji had a feeling that what she really meant was that the teacher had been more than happy to give up his post to Ayaka-sensei.

More than half of the boys in class were gaping at the new teacher. Oishi and Asakawa were looking smitten as well.

"I look forward to teaching all of you. You may call me Ayaka-sensei." She smiled at them, causing the smitten boys to melt in their seats.

"Ne, Eiji. This teacher is nice, isn't she?" Oishi whispered.

Eiji nodded. "She seems like a kind person. Maybe our school life might be alright after all."

After taking their attendance, Ayaka kept the list she was holding.

"Another news I would like to tell you is that this morning, a student from another class has requested to transfer into this class. I have agreed to it, so you would be having another classmate. By today, most probably."

Immediately all of them looked at one another. Who in their right mind would transfer from the other classes into an L class?

They heard some people arguing all the way down the corridor outside of the class. Hurried footsteps were approaching the class as the voices got nearer.

"Kei-kun! There is no reason for you to go to that class! Please rethink about it! Why would you want to go to the last class?"

"My mind has already been made, Aunt Kitsune. Ore-sama cannot stand being in a class full of geeks. Ore-sama has much better things to do in life, and it's your fault for putting all the tennis players in L class anyway. No matter what you say, Ore-sama wishes to transfer into the L class."

The same line shot through all of the former Seigaku players' minds.

'_That sounded familiar.'_

To be continued….

A/N: I hope this chapter wasn't too lame. Was in a mild slump when I typed this, so please point it out if my grammar was disastrous. 

There were a lot of original characters I've added in this story, and most likely will be adding quite a lot for 'Echizen, Our Buchou' as well. I hope it's alright with you people. Rest assured that most would only be minor characters, except for the ones in the regulars, and the antagonists.

I think almost all of you can guess who their new classmate is. This one is far more obvious as compared to who the new trainer for Seigaku is.

I've removed the 'date' of Kunimitsu and Ryoma from this fic. No point repeating it, since it's already quite detailed in the other fic. What do you think of this? Is it better if I include scenes like this in the future chapters, or would it be alright to leave it vague? Aside from the conversations, I'll try not to repeat too many scenes.

Well then, would try to update the next chapter A.S.A.P.

P.S. What was that equipment used to broadcast announcements called again? Was it PA system or something like that? Hope someone can enlighten me in their reviews about this.

**Please Read and Review**

**-Gwyn**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or its characters. I just own my original chars.**

**Warning: May contain spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. My longest chapter so far...**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, possible Oishi X Kikumaru, depends on how you interpret it. Possible Sanada X Yukimura in later chaps.**

A/N: I'm surprised nobody had guessed that Atobe would end up in the same school as the others.

Oh well, glad to know that my fics at least have the element of surprise. XD

For the next few chaps, would only be updating this fic. The other fic would be typed, but I'll let it rest until this fic catches up with the other's storyline. It is quite difficult having to juggle two very different ideas. Every time I type a chapter, I have to double check the title to make sure I haven't mixed both stories up. lol.

Rest assured, I would mention in one of the chapters' Author's Note when I'm about to update the other story.

**Thank you all for reviewing. **

Also, a thousand thanks to** web** for the info about PA systems. Would bear that in mind for later chaps.

Would have the voting system again in this chapter. This time, I'll count the results after **one** chapter, not two like the other one, so be sure to catch who the candidates are in the A/N at the bottom of the page, and vote. It will decide the pace of my story.

Now then, I really should cut down on my A/N. To the story…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 3

The door slid open, and a grey-haired boy stepped in. Behind him was a middle aged woman with a very stern face. She was wearing so much jewelry that the class was temporarily blinded as she made her entrance.

"It really is him, Oishi!" Kikumaru clung on to his doubles' partner's arm.

Ayaka sensei nodded to the boy. "Alright. Welcome to our class. Please introduce yourself."

"Ahem. Ore-sama doesn't feel it necessary to introduce myself to peasants, but I suppose even ore-sama has to follow the procedures. My name is Atobe Keigo, former captain of Hyotei Gakuen's Tennis club. Hope we can get along." Atobe noticed just who was seated before him and his eyes widened.

"Oh? Tezuka. To think that you Seigakurians are in this school as well. At least ore-sama would have opponents worthy enough to battle with."

Tezuka merely gave him an expressionless stare. Ayaka-sensei chuckled.

"Hai, hai. Alright, you've introduced yourself enough. Please take a seat as I wish to start classes soon. Assistant Headmistress Kitsune, would you like to evaluate the class since you're here?"

The middle aged woman wrinkled her nose. "There's no way I'm staying in this class for too long. Kei-kun. It will do you good to change your mind about this soon. I will await your final decision." She spun on her heels and left, slamming the door shut behind her.

Atobe slid into the seat next to Asakawa, so that he was behind Kikumaru and Oishi's seats.

"I look forward to playing against you people during practice. You should be honoured that ore-sama is willing to cooperate with you. Ore-sama is only doing this because we are in the same team now."

"Aa. We're honoured." Tezuka replied. Atobe wasn't sure if Seigaku's former captain was being sarcastic, considering his tone was as emotionless as his face was expressionless.

"Atobe-kun. Who was that woman anyway?" Oishi enquired curiously.

His question made Atobe frown. "That was ore-sama's aunt, my father's sister. Her maiden name was Atobe Miyabi, though now she's married to Kitsune and so her name now follows that of her husband's."

"Kitsune…wasn't that…"

"The student council president's name? Aa. That Mafuyu is my bratty cousin. Ore-sama is more than a hundred times better than he is." Atobe smirked.

Tezuka sighed, while Fuji chuckled. Looks like they were right when they guessed that the guy was related to Atobe.

"Please quieten down, Atobe-san. Now, if you would turn to your textbooks…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm glad that we have Ayaka sensei as our teacher. She's really nice, and she's not biased at all, even though we're an L class." Oishi said as they made their way to the tennis courts.

Atobe snorted. "Of course. Ore-sama's magnificent presence is enough to upgrade the class to an A."

"You haven't changed at all, Atobe-san. I thought I had seen you in the same exam hall with me. Looks like my eyes are still fine after all." Fuji smiled.

"Eh? Why didn't you tell us then, Fuji?" Kikumaru asked his best friend.

Fuji merely chuckled. "Gomen, Eiji. It just slipped my mind."

"It sure was a surprise to see you here though. What brings you to this school?" Oishi asked.

Atobe brushed a hand through his hair, which was shorter than it was last year. "Ore-sama has chosen to grace this school with my presence. With my absolutely intelligent mind, this school's distinction rates would not be a hundred percent, but a hundred and ten percent while ore-sama is here. Besides, it is an Atobe family tradition to enter Kanto High. There is no better place to get your education, and now all of ore-sama's aunts and uncles are either millionaires or billionaires."

"The best place to study huh…I wonder about that…" Asakawa muttered. In the meantime, his majesty Atobe Keigo had gone back to memory lane as he told them all about the grand history of the Atobes, though no one was really listening to him, except for Kikumaru, who was mildly fascinated.

"Atobe. Where is Kabaji?" Tezuka suddenly cut off his speech as his ears were beginning to hurt.

Atobe frowned. "He…did not manage to pass the entrance exams."

No surprise there…

They reached the courts soon enough. A pot-bellied teacher looked at them and gave a sneer.

"Oh? More hopeless cases joining the club? Honestly, why doesn't this club just die out so I can return to my post as the entrepreneur club's advisor." The man muttered to himself.

Atobe looked genuinely shocked as he stared at the condition of the tennis courts. "This really is too rundown for ore-sama's tastes. Ne, Tezuka. Do all of you middle class citizens always have to play in these kind of courts?"

"No." Tezuka stated bluntly. He looked towards Fuji. "Update him on what we know so far."

"Hai, Tezuka."

Minutes later…

"So that's why the class ore-sama went to refused to even talk about tennis. Ore-sama was bored out of my head as the whole day was filled with lectures until 6." Atobe looked serious.

"I wonder why they placed you in class A, since you're a tennis player as well." Oishi suddenly said thoughtfully.

"Baka. That must be because of ore-sama's excellent scores in the entrance exams." Atobe declared proudly.

"Fuji had the highest scores, and Tezuka-buchou had fourth place, yet they're in L class." Oishi pointed out.

"They must be lenient on you just because you're rich." Eiji teased, though his voice had a tinge of envy to it.

Atobe gave a snort. "Ore-sama may be rich, with all the cars and houses all you peasants can only dream of, but ore-sama can be very humble, if I want to."

_Yeah right…_

"Alright, enough about this. When are they going to start practice? Why are they all just standing around there doing nothing but chat? Ore-sama would not tolerate slackers in my team." Atobe frowned.

"Think of it the bright side. Now we can practice because the courts are free." Eiji said brightly.

Tezuka nodded. "By the looks of it, we can select the regulars soon, since there doesn't seem to be too many members to choose from."

"Saa…I wonder about that. We still have to ask the coach for permission to start the regulars selection system in this club, since all the regulars are supposed to be chosen by him." Fuji said, his smile missing.

Asakawa gave a yawn. "Whatever it is, maybe we should think about that later. Let's use the court while it's free."

"Alright. Let's go, and don't let your guard down." Tezuka told the others.

"Come on, my subordinates. All you have to do is follow ore-sama's lead." Atobe said.

Kikumaru tugged Oishi's sleeve lightly to get his attention. "I wonder who's going to be captain this round, since both of them are here."

"Beats me." His partner replied.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They haven't played too long when the doors to the courts were thrown open violently.

"Hey, freshmen! What do you think you're doing playing in here? All of you are only entitled to picking up tennis balls in the first year!" A plump third year said angrily.

"Isn't that the one Yamato-senpai mentioned before? Sino-buchou or something like that?" Asakawa recalled.

"Aa." Tezuka replied.

"Get lost, all of you! You'll have to wait until next year to use the courts!" the captain snapped.

The pot-bellied coach snickered. "You heard your captain, so go swing your rackets, or make yourselves useful by sweeping up the leaves.

Atobe gave the captain and trainer a look that says "Be prepared to meet my lawyer!", but before he could blow up, Fuji laid a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"We'll do as they say, minna." The tensai said quietly.

All of their jaws dropped, except Tezuka's, since his facial muscles seemed to be permanently in a frown. "Fuji?" Kikumaru asked uncertainly.

"After all, this is the captain the coach had chosen, and the coach doesn't look like one to make the wrong choices." Fuji spoke in such a serious voice that the others nearly believed him.

At the praise, the coach looked smug, not noticing that the tensai's eyes were saying the opposite of what he had spoken aloud.

"Of course I would never make a mistake. I was born with eyes to see hidden talents." He boasted.

Fuji nodded sagely. "Indeed. I could see that when I first came to this club. Ne, sensei. How about we try out a bet? Let one of us first years play with your captain. If our first year wins, we will hold a regulars' selection for the future matches, and we will vote for our captain and vice captain. However, if your captain wins, we will run around the court 100 times and we'll clean up the second court. What do you say, sensei? I think you should agree to this. After all, you can't possibly make a mistake in choosing your captain, could you?"

The coach looked uneasy. He thought about it for a moment and scratched his belly for a while. "Well…of course I wouldn't make a mistake…alright then, Sino-kun. Pick one of those freshmen as your challenger." He ordered.

Fuji spotted someone looking at them from one of the buildings just next to the tennis courts. It was a young man who had a serious look on his face, though his eyes held sadness in them. Fuji frowned, but decided not to think too much about it.

Meanwhile, Sino gave all of them a leer and studied them to see who looked the weakest. His eyes came to a rest on Tezuka's unsmiling face.

Seeing the freshman before him staring at him with what he thought was a glare (Of course he doesn't know that Tezuka always had a poker face), Sino looked pissed off.

"What's with that look, freshie? Are you challenging me? You'd better be careful to not walk around with a face like that. You might get yourself hurt…like this!" he swung his racket.

Tezuka gritted his teeth as pain shot up his right arm, which was the unfortunate victim of Sino's blow.

"Tezuka!" All the freshmen, even Atobe yelled.

The coach had pretended to not see what had happened. He merely gave a smirk. "Looks like you'll be the opponent, Tezuka-kun. Good luck. The second court really needs a good cleaning."

Tezuka gave the captain a glare. "I understand. I'll play against you then."

"Oh? I do wonder how you'll be able to play with that arm of yours…" Sino laughed cruelly, and a number of the players followed suit, not wishing to get on his bad side.

15 minutes later

"Game and match, won by Tezuka. 6 games to 0." Yamato announced the score.

Everyone's jaws were resting on the ground. All eyes were on Sino, who had passed out. Around his side of the court, tennis balls were jammed in the fence, and some were still smoking.

Tezuka walked back to his friends as whispers broke out. "He…he's left-handed?"

"I expected nothing less of you, Tezuka." Atobe smirked.

All of them turned their attention to the coach, who looked livid.

"That bet…it had never happened!" he snarled.

Kikumaru and Asakawa gave a loud protest.

Fuji sighed. Then again, he had a feeling this would happen, as he noticed that the coach doesn't look like one to keep his word. Ah well, he'd have to think of some other way.

"Ore-sama really don't like the way you do things. Be prepared to meet my lawyer, you fraud!" Atobe snarled.

"That won't be necessary." A gentle, yet commanding voice said.

A man stepped out from behind one of the school buildings. He had jet-black hair and glasses. Also, he wore an expensive looking suit. The man approached them, and despite the fact that he looked barely over 20, everyone's attention was focused on him.

"Touno sensei. It will do you good to keep your word. This school emphasizes heavily on principles as well. Let them have their selection." The man's eyes rested briefly on Tezuka, and a flash of sadness crossed over his features briefly before passing. He strode off without another word.

"That man…I saw him watching us practice from the building just now…" Fuji suddenly spoke up.

Tezuka said nothing about that. Instead, he turned his attention to Asakawa, who was shaking slightly. The redhead's teeth were gritted, looking like he was trying to hold down an incredible amount of anger.

"That person was…Headmaster Toruwa…." He said, his voice shaking slightly from rage.

For a while all turned to look at Asakawa, then all of them stared at where they last saw the young man.

"Huh? That can't be true. Wasn't the headmaster the one who implemented the exam based system? Why would he allow us to have our selection then?" Kikumaru asked curiously.

"Saa…" Fuji said.

Once more, all of them turned their attention back to the coach. Touno sensei looked ready to burst.

"First headmistress Kitsune asked me to coach this utterly _stupid_ club. Now the headmaster asks me to change my policy?! I've had enough! I quit!" he threw down his cap and left.

Silence reigned upon all of them as they were too stunned for a moment. The next moment, a lot of the members rounded up on Tezuka and the rest.

"Look what you've all done, freshmen! The club was barely surviving and now we don't even have a coach! There's no point staying here anymore!" Most of the members left.

Eventually, the members who remained were just a little over 10. Yamato came over and patted Tezuka lightly.

"I don't think you did anything wrong. The ones left now are the members who are true tennis players at heart. Don't think too much about it. We can survive even without a coach. Now then, let's prepare ourselves for the selections, shall we? Though first we need to get that arm of yours treated." he said.

Tezuka nodded mutely, though he couldn't get rid of the lingering guilt left in his heart.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Honestly, Tezuka. You must be jinxed. First your left arm, and now your right. Be careful your head doesn't get taken off next." Fuji chuckled.

Tezuka threw him a stern look to silence him. He looked as the doctor was done bandaging his arm.

"Tezuka-kun. You sure have a knack for injuring your limbs. I wonder what kind of tennis kids are playing nowadays…" He shuddered. Last year, he had treated Tezuka for his _left_ arm, and treated two students (Kabaji and Kawamura) for their bleeding hands, then he even treated a freshman for a cut to his eyelid (Echizen Ryoma).

"Honestly. Seems like a warfield than a tennis court…" he commented, leaving the room to treat another patient in a different room.

"It's nothing. I think the injury I had to my left hand was far worse than this. It should recover in a few weeks. By the way, do you have to bring _that_ many people along?" Tezuka frowned. The only one who was not here was Kikumaru, who had to leave early to take care of some chores.

"Of course. All of us would like to see how you're doing." Inui's glasses glinted. He at least had updated this one extra detail in his notebook, and he doubted that Renji had known about Tezuka's injury yet.

"I believe there should be more people soon." Fuji said innocently as more footsteps pounded into the clinic.

"Buchou!" both Momoshiro and Echizen burst into the room. Tezuka sighed. He felt like some kind of injured celebrity at the moment, though he was glad to see the concerned look in Ryoma's eyes. It was rare to see any true emotions from Echizen Ryoma, and this was one of the rare chances. Maybe he should get himself injured more often…

"Fuji-senpai called us to say that you were injured, but with the way he said it, we thought you were dying and rushed over as fast as we could." Momoshiro threw the tensai an annoyed look.

"Baka. As if Tezuka would die that easily. Ore-sama still has a score to settle with him, so he can't die just yet." Atobe suddenly spoke up.

Momoshiro and his captain stared stupidly at Atobe for a moment. "Oh. You were here? What are you doing here, anyway?" Momoshiro asked.

Atobe looked severely offended. "Ore-sama has every right to be here, since ore-sama is in the same team as Tezuka now. It wouldn't be good to have one of my players injured. How could you miss my charming presence? Ore-sama stands out more than even Tezuka, yet you only noticed him. "

"That's because he's the one injured…" Ryoma said sarcastically.

The Seigaku captain locked eyes with the former Hyotei captain, and all the rest could have sworn that there were angry sparks flying in the room.

"I see that your hair is still short, Monkey King." Ryoma smirked.

Atobe twitched, for the boy had touched a delicate subject. During the Nationals, when they fought against each other, Atobe had said to shave his head if he lost to the boy. Ryoma won, of course, and since Atobe had passed out, the boy had shaved his head for him.

"My hair is nothing. Ore-sama is still as handsome as ever, no matter the hairstyle."

"Hmm? I do hope you like a bald hairstyle if we ever play a match again." Ryoma smirked.

Tezuka had trouble hiding a smile. That was just like Ryoma to start taunting any good players he saw.

"Baka. It will be you bald if we ever played against each other." Atobe retorted.

Oishi sighed. "You two. Enough. This is a clinic so we need to be quiet. Tezuka, please go home and rest now."

"Aa." Tezuka's eyes flicked briefly to Ryoma, though he looked quickly away.

Inui suddenly snapped his book shut.

"Minna. I've just had an idea. Since all of you are here, why don't I treat you to Inui's hyper-remix pumpkin/garlic/onions/ice-cream vinegar? It's really healthy, you know."

All the boys present (the ones who were formerly from Seigaku anyway) paled. "N…ne...minna. Let's go to Kawamura Sushi. I have a sudden urge to eat sushi." Oishi said immediately.

"I'm going too!" Momoshiro chimed in.

"Yes, that's a good idea. I'll go prepare the food." Kawamura said.

The Seigakurians left, with Fuji throwing Inui an amused look. Inui had a feeling the tensai knew why he was doing this. Asakawa was led away by Fuji. So that the only ones in the room left were Inui, Ryoma, Atobe and Tezuka.

"Ore-sama would not be joining them, as such sushi would be too common for ore-sama's tastes. Besides, ore-sama would like to have a word with Tezuka…" the next moment, Atobe found himself staring at a steaming mug full of swirling brown liquid. A few UFOs (Unidentified Floating Objects) were seen swimming around in the cup. He sweatdropped at seeing Inui's face up close, with glasses glinting.

"By staying here, you have also volunteered to try out this juice. I was looking for one with such rich tastes like you anyway." Inui's trademark evil grin appeared on his face.

Atobe blinked at the mug, which was bubbling slightly. The diva could have sworn that there was something _alive_ in there.

"I am **not** drinking something that is too low classed for ore-sama's tastes."

A vein throbbed in Inui's head at his precious creation being called low-classed.

"Oh? I never knew you were such a coward, Atobe-kun. You don't even dare to try one little beverage." Inui's evil grin had turned absolutely menacing, causing the ones watching the drama to shiver.

Atobe Keigo, super spoilt rich diva, does _not_ like his ego bruised. And nobody calls him a coward and gets away with it.

"Very well. Ore-sama would try your stupid drink. Know that ore-sama is willing to even try out this peasant's juice. You should be awed by my humbleness."

He took the mug from Inui and raised it before Tezuka. "To your good health." He gave a toast before draining the whole thing in one gulp.

Two seconds later, the cup fell out of Atobe's hand as the rich diva died on the spot with a silly grin on his face. Both Tezuka and Ryoma flinched as his body hit the ground with a thump, while Inui was updating his notebook, looking satisfied with his revenge.

"I think I should be going too then." Ryoma hurriedly walked towards the door. The next moment, however, Inui had mysteriously appeared before him, blocking his exit.

"Echizen-kun. You would need to see to it that our dear Tezuka makes it home safely. If you attempt to leave without him, you are more than welcome to try out my Cockroach Cupcakes."

"I'll stay." Ryoma said quickly.

Inui picked up Atobe and slung an arm over his shoulder. "I'll see you two again then. I have to take this king to the mortuary in the meantime." He left the room.

Ryoma adjusted his cap. "What's with him? Why wouldn't he let me leave if he chased everyone else out of the room?"

"Who knows." Tezuka muttered, though he had a feeling he knew why Inui did that.

Meanwhile, as Inui carried the unconscious Atobe out, he noticed Fuji leaning against the wall just outside of the room.

"Oh? Fuji? Why haven't you left with the others yet? Wasn't that Asakawa-kun with you?" the data collector asked.

The tensai smiled. "Saa…I was wondering if Atobe-kun would change his mind about joining us for sushi and asked Asakawa-kun to go ahead first. Looks like Atobe's in no condition to join us even if he wanted to."

"I'll just deposit him at the doctor's, then I'll join you people for…oh wait, I have something to discuss with Renji later. Looks like I wouldn't be able to make it after all." Inui looked apologetic.

"It's alright. You'll just have to join us some other time." He glanced towards the room. Neither Tezuka nor Ryoma were leaving it just yet. "I'm surprised though, to think that you would play matchmaker."

Inui grinned slightly. "You noticed it too, huh."

"Since last year. It was so obvious, the both of them…well, obvious for Tezuka anyway. I'm not too sure what Ryoma really thinks of him though."

"There is a 90 percent chance that their relationship would not work out if Ryoma doesn't express himself more." Inui calculated.

Fuji sighed. "I guess so. In the meantime, we'll keep this from the others and see what we can do to help them. This sure is getting interesting…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that day, Ryoma walked back with Kunimitsu. The younger boy was gently inspecting the other's right arm.

"I'm glad that this round it wasn't too bad, but to think that you would get injured on your 2nd day of school…your tennis club must be filled with either overpowered players or gangsters." He said, frowning.

Tezuka chuckled. If only the boy knew just how serious the problem in Kanto High was, though he had already told the others beforehand to not mention about it to their juniors. He especially didn't want Ryoma to hear about it, as he did not wish for the boy to worry about him.

Tezuka tried to switch the topic. "How is the tennis club coping now that Ryusaki-sensei has left?"

Ryoma sighed. "They don't know anything about it just yet. I've just told Momoshiro this afternoon, right before we received that call from Fuji. I do hope they would not find out about it before I get us a temporary trainer. I wonder if I could find one anyway. He or she would have to be someone who can really play tennis."

"You would do just fine, Ryoma." Tezuka reassured.

His boyfriend's face flushed at being addressed by name. He pulled his cap lower to hide his smile. "Thanks."

Before long, they had reached the front of Tezuka's house. Ryoma gave a playful smirk at the older boy. "Be careful not to get yourself injured again. I would prefer that you beat that Monkey King in your best condition."

"Aa." Tezuka replied. To his disappointment, Ryoma merely gave his hand one last squeeze and left. Looks like their relationship was only to that point. He went into his house and sighed. It really would take a while before they warmed up to each other.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ne…Atobe…could you stop grinning now…you're scaring me…" Kikumaru gulped.

It had been three days since Tezuka was injured, and Atobe hasn't recovered from the effects of Inui's juice yet, as he was still grinning broadly.

Atobe's eyes were glaring daggers at Tezuka, "I have to thank your ex data tennis player for that. What kind of toxic did he give me? I'm still having facial cramps thanks to it!"

Tezuka ignored the diva's rants. Just then, Ayaka-sensei stepped in. The whole class gave her the usual greeting.

"Good morning, class. Oro? Atobe-kun. You seem to be in a good mood again today." She smiled, not noticing that Atobe looked like he wanted to throttle someone for that. She turned to Tezuka. "How's your arm today?"

"It's fine, sensei." The brunette replied.

Ayaka smiled at that. "That's good. Be careful not to get hurt again. Alright, I would wish to start classes now. Before I do that, I would like to ask, is there anyone here who's from the tennis club?"

The six of them raised up their hands immediately. Ayaka nodded. "I would like to have a word with you. Please stay back after class."

All of them exchanged looks. They hoped she wasn't going to give them the news that the tennis club has closed down or something. The six could barely concentrate as Ayaka began teaching…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once the bell rang, all six of them remained in class, wondering what Ayaka-sensei had to say to them. She did not look like she was about to speak just yet, and their fears increased. Not too long later, the door opened, and Yamato and the other members stepped into the classroom.

"Konnichiwa, sensei." They greeted.

She nodded at them. "Alright. Please take a seat, all of you."

They obeyed, their attention fully focused on her.

Ayaka saw their expressions and smiled. "It's not bad news I'm about to say. You don't have to look at me like that. Your headmaster Toruwa mentioned to me that your club doesn't have a teacher advisor, and I offered to take up that post, since I've not been assigned to any clubs yet. I was wondering if it's alright with all of you."

It felt like sunshine after a rainy day as smiles broke out on the faces of the club members. That had been the best news they had heard so far since coming into this school.

"We're delighted to have you as our teacher advisor." Yamato spoke up. The rest nodded in agreement.

Ayaka chuckled. "Our club may be quite small, but let's do our best. He also mentioned that you've adopted a new regulars' selection system? When is it going to be held?"

"We haven't discussed about that…hey, since all the members are here., want to discuss it now?" Oishi suggested.

"Aa." Tezuka said.

With that, Atobe stood up. "Ore-sama believes that most of you have had a regulars selection before. Back in ore-sama's school, we split the players into groups and make them battle against each other, and only the best would make it into the regulars. The others are only small, insignificant bugs to ore-sama's eyes."

"Honestly Atobe…you're only discouraging them with words like this." Oishi frowned.

"Their selection sounds like ours nya! We choose the best eight to compete in the competitions." Kikumaru toyed with an eraser as he spoke.

Tezuka had been relatively quiet as they discussed about the selection amongst themselves. Eventually, they decided to use the same system for their tennis club. Since there were 12 members in the club, they were split into two groups, with six in a group. The best eight would become the regular members. Once that was decided, Tezuka spoke up.

"Since there aren't too many of us, is it alright if we brought the date forward? Maybe we could have the selection next week, or the week after next?"

"I don't mind about that, as I can't wait to start practicing." Fuji said.

Atobe gave a glance at all the other members. "So it's settled then. Next week all of you would marvel at ore-sama's beautiful skills. Look forward to it."

All of them turned back to Ayaka sensei, who had remained quiet as she allowed them to discuss. She nodded, understanding. "Next week then. Please gather at the courts at least an hour after classes have ended. Also, we would be selecting our club's captain and vice-captain after the selections. Consider about this while you're at home, and we'll vote on it next week."

She got up. "Alright then. See you all next week." She gave one last smile and made her exit.

Kikumaru and Asakawa had melted in their seats. "She's so nice, nya!" Kikumaru gushed.

Asakawa nodded. "At this rate, I'm going to be completely in love with her."

Yamato chuckled. "I'm feeling kind of jealous. You guys are lucky to have a teacher like her in your first year. For us, our classes have yet to begin even now, as the week is not up yet. Well, at least there is next week to look forward to."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hmm? So you have a new teacher's advisor now. That's nice…" Ryoma's voice sounded neutral on the other end of the phone.

Tezuka chuckled lightly. "It seems that most of the members are in love with her…" he noticed that Ryoma had gone silent. "Except me, of course. I'm already taken." He added quickly.

"Ah." Ryoma said, Tezuka thought he detected uncertainty in the boy's voice.

"By the way, how's the trainer problem now? Were you able to get someone?" Tezuka asked.

"You're still worrying about that huh, Kunimitsu. Rest easy, I've asked an old pal to help us out with the training. In return, I'd have to help out in Rikkai Dai's training."

"Rikkai Dai…you mean you asked Inui?" Tezuka's face paled, though his voice did not betray his emotions.

Ryoma chuckled. "I have to get Horio back for all the chaos he's created, don't I? Inui's the best option so far, and I know he still cares for Seigaku."

"I hope your juniors would not suffer from diarrhea during all tennis practices." Tezuka muttered darkly.

"Speaking of Inui, I think his friend Yanagi must have told his school a lot about the data tennis player. Inui was upset that none of the tennis members would try of his Inui juice, so he's experimenting them on the Seigaku members. You really should have seen it. He's even making ice-cream and puddings! Though none of them look edible, of course. His current target is Yukimura, who has been very curious and eager to try out his creations. I wonder if I should drop him a warning when I go to Rikkai Dai next week…"

"Oi, young man! Dinner time!" a voice could be heard over the phone.

Ryoma gave a scowl, making Tezuka smile. "That baka oyaji. I'll have to go now. See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Ryoma." Tezuka waited until Ryoma put down the phone first before setting down the receiver.

He threw a glance at his clock. Oh well, it was dinnertime for him as well. With that, he switched off his table lamp and went downstairs…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hoi hoi! Selections! Selections! I'm so excited, Oishi. Aren't you?" Kikumaru said happily.

"Of course, Eiji. Let's do our best to keep up the name of the Golden Pair." He gave his pal a high five.

"You both sure are energetic. I wonder if the seniors are in the courts yet?" Fuji said, walking up to them.

"I believe Yamato senpai is there. He, Tezuka and Atobe were deciding on the groups."

Upon reaching the courts, they noticed that apart from the three former captains, the rest of the members were already here. Kira-san, the former vice-captain who was chosen by the coach gave them a nod in greeting.

"I'm thankful that all of you managed to get us the selections system. With this, we should have a chance to get into the district tournaments. Let's do our best."

"We won't just aim for the district tournaments. Let's aim for the Nationals again." Oishi declared.

Just then, Atobe and the other two approached the courts. Atobe had his arms held out, like a king addressing his people. It seems that he has managed to wipe that permanent grin off his face at last.

"Attention, my loyal subjects. Ore-sama have already set the groups, with the help of Yamato-kun and Tezuka-kun of course. Please take a look at the list on the wall to see which groups you're in. Each of you would be fighting in your groups, and the best of four from each group would become the regulars. After that, the regulars would be fighting against each others to determine the rankings. Of course, ore-sama's top spot has already been taken, so you'll have to fight for the other positions."

"Honestly, Atobe-kun. You might not be the first in this club. Not if all of us got serious." Yamato chuckled.

Had this been any other school, the selections would have been a grand event. For this school, however, the selections were only a simple, quiet affair between the members. And so the regulars were chosen. From group A-Tezuka, Fuji, Kikumaru and Asakawa. From group B-Atobe, Oishi, Yamato and Kira.

With that began the battle for the rankings. Fuji creamed Yamato with his triple counters. (He reserved the quadruple counters only for competitions) Oishi defeated Kikumaru after a very long battle. Kira was incredible when it came to his aim, but Asakawa proved to be extremely fast when it comes to sprinting, so there wasn't a shot he couldn't catch up with Also, he had great adrenaline control. A pity his skills were lacking, as he was new to tennis, and so he lost to Kira.

After several battles, Fuji now ranked third in the tennis club. It was now a battle for the first place as everyone stared at the former captains.

"You're no match for me, Tezuka. Ore-sama have been looking forward to playing with you again once you've recovered. To think that you've gotten yourself injured again." he hit one ball to Tezuka's blind spot.

"15 all." Yamato called the score.

"Don't worry about it. It's only my right hand injured. It will not affect my game." He did a drop shot.

"30-15." Yamato announced again.

They continued like this for more than an hour, almost replaying their last match against each other.

"Why do they always draw out the matches? My legs are starting to sleep nya." Kikumaru complained.

"Game count, 5 games to 4. Tezuka lead." Yamato announced.

Fuji chuckled. "I hope they're not going to enter another extended tie-break."

"They're amazing! I've never seen skills like theirs before!" Asakawa exclaimed.

"Saa…we know one little junior high student who could beat both of them easily. You should see him play." Fuji said with a smile.

"30-40."

"Looks like we're going to enter a tie-break again, Tezuka. I'll defeat you first, then I'll settle my score with your cute successor. I wonder how Echizen would look like when he's bald." Atobe smirked.

At the mention of Ryoma's name, Tezuka seemed to have become a different person as his power flared to yet a higher level. Atobe could not even defend himself as Tezuka scored three points in a row.

"Game and match. Won by…Tezuka. 6 games to 4."

Both Kikumaru and Oishi cheered. Atobe gave a sigh. "2nd place huh…such a disgrace to ore-sama's beautiful skills."

One person began applauding. All of them turned to see Ayaka-sensei there. "Well done, all of you. I'm very glad at seeing your performance today. Let's do our best this year to make Kanto High's tennis team the best."

The club members clapped at that. Atobe smirked. "Of course it will be the best. Ore-sama is in here, am I not?"

Ayaka chuckled lightly at that. "Alright, now that the regulars are chosen and the rankings are done, we will vote for our club's captain and vice-captain. Two candidates have the highest number of votes so far. Tezuka-kun. Atobe-kun. Could you step this way please?"

Atobe strode forward confidently, while Tezuka was as expressionless as ever.

"Tezuka, the captain would be ore-sama." Atobe smirked.

"We'll see. Saa. Yudan sezu ni ikkou. (Don't let your guard down)" Tezuka gave his reply.

To be continued…

A/N: So sorry that the ending was so rushed. I'm not putting too much emphasis for the regulars' selection in Kanto High, since I would be writing another one in Echizen, Our Buchou. Also, I'm really writing too many pages. 

To the voting then. If I had my way, I would have made Tezuka the captain. I think you've all noticed that I've overpowered both him and Echizen in both my fics. (I can't help it. Those two are my fav chars. XD) I really can't imagine Tezuka as vice-captain…

However, I've decided to let you guys vote on it. The winner would be captain while the loser would be vice-captain. Don't worry. I'll adapt to whoever's the winner so the plot of the story would not be affected. So, let the battle between Tezuka and Atobe begin!

**Tezuka: Why am I always a candidate for the voting systems?**

**Echizen: You have a problem with that, **_**boyfriend**_

**Tezuka: No…no problem at all.**

**Atobe: Would you two stop your honeymooning? The 'who gets Echizen' votes have already been counted. Tezuka, ore-sama won't let you win the position of captain. It belongs only to me.**

**Tezuka: We'll let the readers decide on that. Be sure to vote, minna.**

Read and review please. Would need to see who wins the position of captain to continue the story. **Also, could someone tell me what that tennis ball shooting machine is called? The one they use in practices. I'll need the term for my next chapter.** Thx.

**-Gwyn**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its chars. Only my original characters belong to me.**

**Warning: Contains spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, possible Oishi X Kikumaru, Sanada X Yukimura**

A/N: Alright, the votes have been counted. The captain and vice-captain of Kanto High have now been selected. **Thank you all for your votes and reviews.**

Thank you **vic** about the explanation regarding the tennis' points' system. Don't really know much about tennis, to be honest. Will bear that info in mind.

Also, thank you **Angelique Starlight** for mentioning about Kabaji being a sophomore in the manga. I thought he was a third year like Atobe and the rest, as the only second year I know was the one who played against Ryoma. Forgot that guy's name though.

Don't think I'll be changing it though, so in this story, Kabaji would be in high school like the rest of them. Hope you all could picture that. :p

By the way, **Old Fiat**, I followed what you suggested and flipped a coin. Whatever I had would be counted as one of _your_ votes. I've got heads. Hope that's alright with you. XD

Thank you **Liek** for telling me about the ball machine. Glad that there is someone with the knowledge of tennis to confirm the name.

Thank you **catmum56 **for telling me about the mistake I made in chapter 3. Have already corrected it and replaced the chapter.

To the story then. Would not tell who the captain and vice-captain are just yet. Instead, let's take a peek at what's going on at Inui's side. I believe many of you are wondering about what Inui mentioned in chapter 4 of Echizen, Our Buchou.

To the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 4

::: Intermission :::

Slightly over a week after school started, Rikkai Dai

"That Inui sure is slow, Yanagi…" Marui Bunta chewed on his bubble gum, blew it, burst it and chewed on it again.

Yanagi Renji, the Master and another data tennis player like Inui, merely resumed writing in his notebook. "He's been off to train his old school's tennis team, hasn't he? Of course he'd be slow."

"If I were still vice-captain, I would see to it that he runs around the school until sundown…" Sanada the Emperor scowled.

"Calm down, Genichirou. Inui-san would probably be here soon." Yukimura coaxed.

At the former captain's voice, the cap wearing tennis player sat down, though his face still has impatience written all over it. The others never understood how was it that the beautiful, dark blue-haired former captain was able to calm his friend so easily. Then again, Sanada' loyalty to Yukimura was well known amongst all the players.

"Ah! He's here…and he brought someone with him." Their trickster Niou suddenly exclaimed.

Inui waved at all of them. "Yo. So sorry I was late."

Yanagi closed his books and came to greet his friend. "Sanada was all ready to kill you, Sadaharu. So you brought the boy as promised."

"Yes indeed. In return for training his tennis club, he would come over here to help out with our training."

Ryoma looked around curiously, as this was his first time in Rikkai Dai. Inui noticed that the boy looked impressed.

Ryoma then noticed Sanada. "Ah! Weren't you the one I defeated last year? Forgot your name though. Salsa or something like that."

"This brat…" Sanada was shaking with anger.

Yukimura chuckled. "He's Sanada. Welcome to Rikkai Dai. I'm grateful that you've agreed to help us with our training."

"It was nothing. Inui-senpai's doing the same for Seigaku anyway." Ryoma looked around. "Shall we begin? I need to get home by evening."

"Right. The courts are this way." Yukimura led all of them inside.

Ryoma blinked, impressed by how huge it was. There were far more courts here than in Seishun Gakuen.

As all of them entered the courts, many of the members looked up curiously at the newcomer, especially since Ryoma was wearing his Seigaku jersey, which stood out amongst the sea of yellow-the colour of the sports attire the Rikkai students were wearing. Ryoma wasn't really paying attention to them, for he had spotted a few of those ball machines and looked like he was itching to try it out. To think that they have one whole court reserved for training.

"Ne. Inui senpai. That was what Sanada trained on to get his invisible racket, serve and his elements right?"

"I believe so…let's see…" he flipped through his notebook.

Yanagi chuckled. "Don't bother. My data is more updated than yours when it comes to Sanada. Sanada Genichirou. Blood type A. User of the invisible racket, invisible serve and the elements Fuu Rin Ka Zan (Wind Forest Fire Mountain). Able to enter the state of self-actualization, but has not opened any of the three doors. His hobby is…"

"Renji…I think what Echizen here wanted to know was how much Sanada practices on the machines." Inui said, cutting off his pal before Renji accidentally revealed the former vice-captain's deepest secrets as well.

"Hmm…He sets the speed to around 200 km/h, then the machine would fire 3 balls in rapid succession. Currently he's trying to train four balls at a go."

"Heh…that's pretty good." Ryoma said.

The captain and vice-captain of Rikkai Dai's senior high team came over. Ryoma noticed that one of them reminded him of someone.

The captain had dark hair and a friendly smile. The vice-captain had an eternally calm face, though he gives off the aura of a tensai, just like Fuji and Hyotei's Oshitari.

"Ah. You brought them, Yukimura-kun. So this is the junior high to have achieved the Pinnacle of Perfection eh? Nice to meet you. I am the captain Kirihara Akira, and this is the vice-captain Sano Iruga."

Ryoma blinked. "Ki-Kirihara?" He knew that guy looked familiar….

The captain looked bashful. "By your reaction, I'd say you have met my little brother. So sorry about him. I hope he hasn't been giving you any trouble."

Ryoma turned to Inui in bewilderment. Inui leaned over slightly to whisper to the boy.

"Yeah. I know their characters are as different as heaven and earth. The younger Kirihara is known as the Devil Kirihara, while the older one is known as the Angel Kirihara. He's another motherhen type like Oishi."

Kirihara-buchou patted Ryoma on the back. "Alright then. Feel free to look around at our practices. I would appreciate it if you could correct the weaker members."

"Usu."

Ryoma sat down on one of the benches and opened a can of Ponta, looking calmly as Kirihara-buchou herded his members into line. Before long, the members were practicing. Ryoma felt mildly intimidated at seeing that most of the members were really good. It was a no wonder Rikkai Dai were the champions for so long.

He noticed one particularly loud member who reminded him of a grown up version of Horio. The person was boasting to his friends so much, it seems he was doing more talking than playing throughout the games. Also, he seemed to be hitting the balls with a lot of strength, yet many ended up out of the court.

"Out!" the gentleman Yagyuu, who was referee announced yet again."

"Damn…I was only letting you off easy…" the boy said to his opponent.

Ryoma couldn't take the scene before him anymore. He got up, set the half-finished can of Ponta on the bench and went over to the side of the court that person was playing in. As the person hit another ball out, Ryoma spoke quietly.

"Your grip on the racket is too tight. Loosen your grip a little. It will help you aim better."

The senior stared at Ryoma for a moment before deciding that the boy looked harmless. With that, he rounded on the green haired kid and sneered in his face.

"Who are you to lecture me, kid? What's an outsider like you doing in this school?"

"He's here by our invitation, Shin-kun. He'll be helping us out with our practices." Vice-captain Sano spoke up.

Shin looked highly unconvinced with that. He glared at the boy, who gave him a challenging stare in return.

"Why do we need an outsider to train us? Who is he anyway?" he demanded.

Ryoma adjusted his cap. "Echizen Ryoma, Seishun Gakuen sophomore. Captain of the Seigaku tennis club. There. Satisfied?"

"Seishun Gakuen? Isn't that a junior high school? So this guy is only in junior high?! Why would we need a chibi to help us with practice?" Shin demanded.

A vein popped in Ryoma's head at the word 'chibi'. Inui and Yanagi had temporarily stopped their practice as they hurried to collect 'good data'.

Ryoma pinned the other boy with a hard, golden gaze. "Ne…instead of you complaining like this, how about we try out our skills. With those." He cocked his head in the direction of the ball machines.

The boy stared at him like Ryoma had gone out of his mind. He burst out laughing. "Are you aware that I train on that thing _everyday_? Very well then. You should make a good clown." He strode over to the machines and switched them on.

Inui leaned over. "He's not joking you know. Every time Sanada gets in there to train, Shin-kun would be training as well. I think he wishes to surpass the Emperor."

Ryoma picked up his racket. "Hmm? If that's the case, he'll have to be me, since I've beaten the Emperor before." He went into the court as well.

"All members halt practice at once and watch court C. Try to learn something from what you see." Kirihara-buchou ordered.

The machines buzzed to life. Shin went first as the three balls pelted out at 150 km/h. He hit them all, and most of the tennis club members clapped at that. "Definitely nothing less of Shin. His reflexes are great." One of the bystanders commented.

Shin gave a smirk. "Your turn then, junior captain." He stepped aside.

The balls pelted out again and Ryoma hit all three of them with ease, drilling a single tennis ball shaped hole into the ground.

Jaws dropped. The captain and vice-captain looked impressed. To think that Ryoma could hit the same spot over and over again, and so far they've only seen Sanada do that before.

"Too slow. Hey, could you turn the speed up higher? I want to try Sanada's training."

Moments later, the balls fired at him like bullets. Ryoma's golden eyes narrowed as his inborn eyesight picked up where the balls were flying to. He hit them all back again, drilling the same hole made in the first round.

"This is fun." Ryoma looked like he was enjoying himself. He threw the racket up into the air, and to the surprise of most and the horror of the rest, he had caught it with his left hand.

"I think I should get a little more serious." He set the machine again. This time, five balls pelted out at him from five different machines, at 200km/h.

"That's too much!" Sanada exclaimed.

Ryoma's eyes were focused on all of the shots. He swung his racket so fast that only the few with sharp eyesight could see his swing. The balls pelted the very same spot as the first two rounds.

Silence reigned over all the members. It was Kirihara who broke the silence as he applauded. Eventually, most of the members followed his lead and soon the courts rang with applause.

"I hope you're convinced now, Shin-kun." Kirihara said gently.

Shin had nothing to say as he stared at the inhuman tennis player with his jaw still hanging open. Ryoma kept his racket in his bag and went to finish his can of Ponta.

"So this is the level of one who has achieved the Pinnacle of Perfection?" Iruga asked.

Inui chuckled. "The Pinnacle of Perfection? That was the normal Echizen you saw just now. He wasn't even in the state of self-actualization."

He made most of the members present speechless with what he had said.

"By the way, Shin-kun. Rikkai Dai's motto is that no losing is allowed. You've obviously lost, so you would have to try this Golden Pudding. Don't worry, it has been taste tested by the players in Seigaku." Inui's glasses glinted.

Not too long later, Shin gave a yell and fell to the ground twitching. Inui was laughing evilly while everyone else shuddered.

Yukimura smiled. "That looks delicious. I never knew that Shin was allergic to puddings. Let me try."

"Yukimura. You must not." Sanada said immediately. Any kind of foodstuff that had been in Inui's hands must be avoided at all cost.

Seeing that the beautiful former captain was staring at the pudding with eager eyes, Sanada took the other's shoulders and spun him around to face him.

"If you must, let me taste test it first. I have to make sure it's fine before I let you even touch it." Sanada said seriously.

"A small bite would not matter, I suppose. After all, the Seigaku players have tried it. It really looks delicious, with its golden hue. Genichirou, you don't have to be that protective over me." Yukimura chuckled.

Ryoma paled. "Looks can be deceiving." He muttered. A pity Yukimura didn't hear him as he tried a small nibble.

The next moment, Yukimura toppled over, though Sanada caught him before he could hit the ground. "Yukimura!"

The ex-captain's eyes were spinning. "Sanada…help me say goodbye to my parents." He passed out in his friend's arms.

"Yukimura!!!" Sanada yelled.

Ryoma wisely got up from the bench. "I've just realized I have something to do. See you all later." He fled as Inui was now being strangled alive by Sanada. Both captain Kirihara and vice-captain Sano were trying to restrain the Emperor, while Renji was adding data into his notebook.

"Sadaharu. Sanada just have to twist your head another 18 degrees and your neck would snap." He stated calmly.

"You're…wrong…it's 18.2 degrees." Inui gave his reply, still struggling to break free.

"Oh? My mistake." Yanagi erased the error from his notebook and corrected it.

::: End of Intermission :::

Around the same time, Kanto High School

"Alright, we have the votes from all of our members here. Our new captain would be…Tezuka Kunimitsu. Our vice captain would be Atobe Keigo."

The members burst into applause. Tezuka nodded politely at each of them in turn. Before he could say anything, however, Atobe spoke up first…

"Ah. All of you are my wise subjects indeed. Ore-sama thanks all of you for making the obvious decision, by choosing ore-sama as captain…"

"Urm…Atobe-san…" Oishi began.

"Ore-sama would see to it that none of you slack off. Anyone who does would be kicked off my team…"

"Ano…Atobe-kun…" Yamato had trouble keeping the laughter from his voice.

"This tennis club would be the best, of course. You would all just have to follow ore-sama's lead…"

"Atobe-kun." Ayaka sensei spoke up, and Atobe paused in mid sentence, with one hand still in the air like a dictator addressing his people.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken. It's _Tezuka_-kun who is the captain. You're the vice captain." She corrected him.

"Ah…of course." For the first ten seconds, Atobe didn't seem to get her, as his head was still in the clouds. It didn't take long for his hot-air balloon to puncture as he came crashing back down to earth.

"EEEEHHH???"

Ayaka-sensei gave a weak laugh at Atobe's extreme reaction. "You're vice-captain, Atobe-kun. That's still a lot of responsibility you'd have to shoulder."

Atobe sniffed, looking like his pride was severely wounded. "Vice-captain huh…so I lost to Tezuka again." he thought about it for a moment and shrugged.

"Very well then, ore-sama will accept this position. I'll make sure that Tezuka behaves himself while I'm vice."

"I think it makes no difference, whoever takes what position. In terms of power, they are equal. It's just the name that is different." Oishi whispered to Asakawa, Kikumaru and Fuji.

"Saa…I think Tezuka still holds more power than Atobe though. This should be interesting. Knowing Tezuka, he would most likely let Atobe handle things, as our very passive buchou would only step in if he needs to."

Ayaka cleared her throat. "Alright. I believe we're done for today. I would have to take my leave now to prepare for tomorrow's lesson. Tezuka-kun. Would you bring these to the headmaster's office?" she handed him her book which had all the details regarding the club.

Asakawa gave Tezuka a sympathetic look. "Poor guy, to have to go meet that nightmare. I do hope that headmaster ask him to disband the club instead, seeing what he had done to this school."

"That's not entirely Toruwa Jun's fault…" Ayaka said softly, and the only ones who managed to hear her were Tezuka, Atobe and Fuji.

"Did you say something, sensei?" Asakawa asked, while the three who heard her exchanged looks.

"Ah. It's nothing. See you all in class tomorrow." Ayaka left.

One by one, the members left for home. Tezuka too left, as he had to drop by the headmaster's office.

Atobe folded his arms and surveyed the courts. "Now then, as vice-captain. I would have to do something about this…" he wrinkled his nose at the sight of the second court. Peasants really could play in the strangest conditions, couldn't they?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tezuka came to a door the words 'Toruwa Jun, Headmaster' written on it. He knocked on it. "Enter." A voice answered from inside.

Tezuka opened the door and went in. He came before the headmaster's table and bowed politely. "I am Tezuka Kunimitsu, new captain of the tennis club. I wish to submit my club's details."

"Very well then. Place it on the table over there." Toruwa gave a simple wave of his hand to indicate the spot.

Tezuka obeyed, setting the book down. He then gave a bow. "I will take my leave now. Please excuse me." He spun around, feeling thankful that the headmaster wasn't going to say something nasty about the club.

He had only opened the door when the headmaster called him again. "Please wait a moment, Tezuka-buchou."

Tezuka's heart sank. What now? He closed the door and turned around to face the other man.

The headmaster was giving him a stare, studying him. "How's your arm?" he asked suddenly.

Tezuka blinked. He really wondered how this man was said to be so terrible as to implement the new system on the school. Something just doesn't feel right.

"My arm is recovering. Thank you for your concern." The Kanto High captain replied politely.

Toruwa nodded. "That's good then." He seemed to have something on his mind. "Say, Tezuka-kun. That day…just what drove you to play like that, with that injury to your arm? For what do you play tennis?"

That question was odd, and Tezuka could see a flash of sadness in the other's eyes. "I play for myself, nothing more. Also, I don't need a reason to not play seriously. I'm not going to let my injury be a handicap to my game. I've played in worse conditions before. To me, what's the most important thing to do right now is to make sure the team's dream to reach the Nationals comes true. I would do everything in my power to help realize that dream."

Toruwa snorted. "I hope so, Tezuka-kun. Very idealistic dream you have there. Life is very unpredictable. Something may just come up and destroy that dream." He sounded bitter with the last sentence.

Tezuka felt uncomfortable. This man's moods sure changed fast.

"Alright. You may leave now." Toruwa said.

"Please excuse me then." Tezuka closed the door behind him, casting a last look at the headmaster, who did not seem to hear him as he was too busy brooding.

Once outside, Tezuka shook his head, feeling rather confused. Well, he should feel better after a match with Ryoma. With that thought, he went off to look for his boyfriend.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night, Atobe Mansion 5

There was the gentle clink of silverware as the Atobes had their dinner. For once, the master Atobe Kirie was at home.

Atobe Keigo hardly saw his father, who always had to go out on business trips for months at a go, and he was always glad every time his father could make it to a family dinner like this.

Atobe chanced a glance at the other end of the table and frowned slightly. Well, this round it was more of an 'extended' family dinner, as the Kitsunes were here as well.

Aunt Kitsune as usual wore a large amount of jewelry, and every time she bent down slightly to pick a morsel out of her plate, it looked like she might accidentally eat some of those beads she was wearing as well.

His blonde, bishonen cousin spoke nothing during dinner, but every time their eyes met, they exchanged looks of dislike.

"Miyabi. I hope my Keigo isn't giving you too much trouble. I was delighted to hear that he had been accepted into your school." Kirie spoke.

His younger sister gave a laugh. "Of course not. Kei-kun is an excellent student in the school. Besides, Ki nii-sama. It's not right to call it 'my school'. I'm only the assistant headmistress after all."

"Ah. Such a pity. You really should be headmistress of that school. By the way, I've been hearing some disturbing rumours regarding the current headmaster. What do you have to say about him?"

"Oh? My, that man was the one who implemented the exam-based system. He's really terr…"

"He's an excellent man, father." Atobe cut in.

Kirie turned his attention to his only son and smiled. "You're usually quite hard to please. If you say so, then those really must be rumours only."

The head of the house did not proceed to ask further as he sipped on his wine. Atobe noticed that his aunt wasn't looking happy. He made a mental note about this.

"By the way, Ki nii-sama. How is Global Industries doing now?" Miyabi asked.

Global Industries was a multi-billion company owned by Atobe's father. It mainly concentrated on shipping in the start, but has now extended its reach by buying shares from numerous large corporate.

"Ah. Same as always. We've just signed a contract with another company recently."

"That's good. I think you'd be pleased to hear that my Mafuyu topped the class again during his class test."

"That's just like him. Work hard, Keigo. You would have to keep up with your cousin." Kirie said.

"I will, father." Atobe threw his cousin yet another look of dislike.

While Atobe's father owned Global Industries, that position might not necessarily be Atobe's once his father retires. There were two candidates in the Atobe family who were eligible for that post. One, of course was Keigo himself. The other would be his cousin Mafuyu. The one who had the best performance in Kanto High would be the one to take over Kirie's position. It was a no wonder his aunt was always trying to flaunt her son's academic prowess with every little chance she had.

Atobe sighed. If it wasn't because Kanto High currently uses a purely exam-based system, his aggregate scores would definitely be much higher than his cousin. What was that headmaster thinking, not allocating marks for co-curricular activities to be included in their exams?

Kitsune Umi, Mafuyu's father stood up suddenly, and his nucleus family followed suit. "We would be taking our leave now, Atobe-sama. Thank you for the meal."

"It was our pleasure. We're family after all." Catherine Atobe, Keigo's English mother said in return.

The Kitsunes left, escorted by the Atobes' butler. Once they were out of sight, Atobe's father stood up.

"Keigo…" there was a hard look in his father's eyes.

Atobe flinched, knowing what was coming next.

His father walked over to his son's seat, and surely enough…

"Kei-chan! I haven't seen you in months. Did you grow taller again?" Kirie, the father with a son-complex embraced the boy in a bear hug.

Catherine chuckled. Her husband always greeted their son like this, as long as it was just their family in the room. "Dear. Kei-chan is already in High School. You shouldn't baby him like this."

"It's terrible enough that my poor baby boy doesn't see me often, and I have to keep worrying over how he's doing without me. What kind of a father am I?"

"It's alright, father. I'm doing well." Atobe was trying not to pry himself out of his father's arms.

"Call me papa. Haven't I said that before?" Kirie whined. It was a good thing none of his employees came in to see their boss behaving like that.

"Dear…he's no longer a kid." Catherine sighed.

"He'll always be a child to me. By the way, Kei-chan. I've heard that your club already had the selections. You're captain again, I suppose."

"No. I'm vice-captain this round. Tezuka Kunimitsu was made captain." Atobe looked mildly unsatisfied.

Kirie blinked. "Tezuka? You mean that Seigaku player you defeated before?"

"Aa. Most of the club members voted for him, so he was made captain."

Kirie thought about it for a moment. "So then, looks like the score is even between the both of you. Don't worry about it. It makes no difference whether you are captain or vice, just do your best and give the other clubs hell."

"Aa. I will." Atobe smirked, feeling slightly better.

Kirie went back to his seat to finish his food, and his wife poured him another glass of wine.

"By the way, father. I would like to ask you for something." Atobe suddenly spoke up.

"Anything! I've told you before that what's mine is yours. You're as much a master of this household as I am."

Was it any wonder why Atobe was so spoilt?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kikumaru, Oishi, Fuji and Asakawa arrived at the tennis courts as usual the next day. However, the sight that greeted them caused both Kikumaru and Asakawa to drop their bags, Oishi to let out an exclamation of horror, and Fuji's eyes to open.

For there were tractors _everywhere_ around the courts. Several men were bustling around tearing down the fence, while some dug up the ground with the tractors. In other words, it looks like the tennis club was doomed.

"Wh-What did Tezuka-buchou say to the headmaster yesterday? To think he would make such an aggressive move by destroying the courts." Asakawa gulped.

"Does this mean our club is gone too?" Kikumaru sank to the ground unhappily.

The other members who were there too looked equally shocked at seeing their beloved courts being torn down like this.

"Well, my humble subjects. What do you think of ore-sama's charitable work?" Atobe suddenly said, walking towards the courts with Tezuka next to him.

The looks the others gave him in return said that they were _not_ happy until someone could explain about what was going on.

Tezuka sighed. "Atobe-san has instructed for the reconstruction of the tennis courts, seeing that it was already in such a terrible state. While I'm not too happy about him making this decision without asking us first, I'm grateful that he had thought about the welfare of the club."

"Ah. Now that ore-sama will be leading the club… (glare from Tezuka) with Tezuka, I'll see to it that this club would begin afresh. Let's discard the old image of this club and see to it that no one looks down upon the Kanto High tennis team."

There was a chorus of agreement to that. Yamato raised his hand. Tezuka nodded for him to speak.

"Firstly, how about we change the name of the club, something other than Kanto High." He suggested.

Atobe's eyes glinted at that. "Excellent idea! Ore-sama would name it Hyo…"

"Any name other than Hyotei, Atobe. This is not your old school." Tezuka frowned, causing Atobe to look deflated.

"Whatever you say, buchou. Alright. Any other suggestions?"

The whole club erupted with suggestions for the name, ranging from Golden Dragons to Pretty Boys to Godlike Tennis. While Atobe suggested some very bombastic sounding names, Tezuka's face was getting darker and darker with annoyance.

"So troublesome nya. Why don't we just shorten the name to K-High?" Kikumaru suddenly spoke up.

Everyone went silent, and Kikumaru gulped. Was that a bad idea?

"I have no objections to that." Fuji spoke up first.

"Aa." Tezuka agreed.

"K-High sounds alright, Eiji." Oishi smiled.

"Hoi hoi! K-High it is then. Stands for Kikumaru High." The acrobatic player said cheerily.

"Nonsense. It stands for Kantarou High." Asakawa retorted.

Atobe gave a grand wave of his hand. "Baka. I'm leading this club, so of course it stands for Keigo High."

"If that's the case, it should stand for Kunimitsu High, since he's the captain." Fuji chuckled.

"Enough about this. Atobe, I hope you've made sure that we can still have our practices, considering we cannot utilize our courts currently." Tezuka hurriedly changed the subject. All these cold jokes were making the hairs stand on his arms.

Atobe looked smug. "Of course. Ore-sama has kindly allowed all K-High tennis club members to use the courts in my mansion for all practices."

A cheer rang through the club.

Tezuka studied all the members. Everyone was wearing a different type of sportswear, with the Seigakurians wearing their old jersey, Atobe wearing his old Hyotei shirt, and the others wearing either their old schools' sportswear or just a plain white shirt.

"Yamato-senpai. I was wondering. What is this club's sportswear? Especially during the competitions." Tezuka asked.

To be continued…

A/N: I think I'll stop here for this chapter. The K-High club's uniform that I have in mind is white, with either a black or silver collar, and a bit of black or silver around the sleeves. About the pants…haven't really thought about it yet. Their jacket would be roughly the same colour as their uniform.

However, if someone has a better suggestion for the uniform, please write it down in your reviews. If I'm able to picture the design, I might use your idea for their clothes instead. Also, try not to say blue and white, or grey and white. Those are the colours for the Seigaku and Hyotei shirts. No point having similar colours.

I think all of you have noticed that the plot for Life After Seigaku is far more complicated than Echizen, Our Buchou. I'm trying to make the story plot as straight forwarded as possible. Please tell if it's still confusing. In this fic, there would be Tezuka's side of the story as well as Atobe's side of the story.

I don't think either the manga or the anime had mentioned about Atobe's parents, so I just chose their names at random. I've always thought that Atobe might have mixed parentage, so I made his mother an Englishwoman. What do you all think of that?

**Gwynhafra a.k.a. Authoress: Well then. There you have it. Tezuka Kunimitsu won the most votes and is now the captain. Atobe Keigo is vice-captain.**

**Atobe: Ah. So ore-sama has lost to Tezuka again huh…baka.**

**Tezuka: …**

**Gwynhafra: A total of 22 people had voted, and out of that number…**

**Tezuka—20 votes**

**Atobe—2 votes**

**Atobe: EH?! Ore-sama lost by that many? Even the Tezuka VS Sakuno votes were not so one-sided.**

**Kikumaru: We had that many members in the tennis club? 22 people…**

**Fuji: Saa…**

**Tezuka: Minna, thank you all for your votes. Yudan sezu ni ikkou. Also, hope that some of you can save us from the uniforms we're wearing currently. The Authoress is really a terrible person. (glares)**

**Gwynhafra: (Smiles innocently) Oh? What uniforms? That won't appear until the next chapter. Well then. Pls read and review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. Only my original characters belong to me. Wish that I could own the harem of pretty tennis players though. Sigh…**

**Warning: Contains spoilers for the latest manga episodes. Shonen-ai fic.**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, possible Oishi X Kikumaru, Sanada X Yukimura**

A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. As mentioned in the past fics, flashbacks would be in Italics.

Also, thank you** black-winged Fury** for the suggestion regarding the uniforms. Would be using that idea…well… somewhat. I do hope I got the designs right.

**Merissala**, I've changed replaced chappie 4 already, as I think I've spotted the mistakes you meant. Hope it's alright now. Hehe

To the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 5

"_...What is this supposed to be?" Atobe asked, holding up what looked like bearskin._

_Yamato chuckled as Atobe wrinkled his face. "That's our club's attire. We wore it to the inter-school competition last year."_

_Atobe's sharp eyes took in the appearance of the shirt (rag?) and his face turned green slightly. Seeing its muddy brown colour really reminded him of something gone bad. In fact, the quality of the shirt was so terrible, the collar and sleeves were starting to fray, even though this shirt must have been only used once in a while. _

_Right after Tezuka had asked about the sportswear of the club, Yamato had retrieved his and showed it to the freshmen. Currently Kikumaru was sitting on the bench, with Oishi patting his back, as the acrobatic player's excellent eyesight had magnified every single terrible detail about the shirt and the poor guy was now feeling faint._

"_This looks like shit. Did you people really wear this to competitions?" Atobe sounded horrified._

"_I'm afraid so." Yamato nodded._

_Everyone looked up as Tezuka and Fuji returned from the tennis clubroom. After Yamato had shown them the outfit, Fuji had wanted to try it on, and dragged Tezuka along with him. So both of them had borrowed the clothes from two of the seniors and had headed off to change._

_Fuji was smiling as usual, while Tezuka's frown looked even worse than ever._

"_My...how shall I put it...it feels different." Fuji said after some time._

"_Aa." Tezuka felt like he was wearing a gunnysack, and considering its colour, it might be made of the same material._

_Kikumaru did not feel so faint anymore as both he and Oishi gaped at the captain and tennis genius. Fuji looked like a pretty cavewoman, while Tezuka looked like a brown bear, especially with his arms folded like that._

_Kikumaru immediately burst out laughing, and it seems he wasn't the only one. Many must have thought that the two looked funny, as most of the other members were laughing as well. _

_Atobe smirked. "You really look like a block of wood now. Tezuka."_

_Tezuka glared at him. "Everyone! 10 laps around school block B. Now!" he ordered._

_It didn't quite have the desired effect on the club members as all of them went to run their rounds, laughing worse than ever when the 'bear' had began talking._

_Tezuka twitched. "I'm changing." He said._

_Fuji smiled evilly. "What's the rush? You don't get to wear clothes like this everyday."_

"_And I don't ever intend to wear it again." Tezuka frowned, heading towards the clubroom._

_Some time later, all of the members returned from their laps, and by then, both Tezuka and Fuji were back in their Seigaku uniforms. Some of the members were trying to catch their breath, while the ones who were in the regulars before didn't look as out of breath as the ones who weren't. Asakawa was the only one who looked like he hadn't run at all, as he did not even break a sweat._

_Atobe whipped out a pocket mirror and began combing his hair, which had a few strands out of place from all that running. Tezuka frowned at his vice-captain's vanity. When he was done, Atobe kept the mirror back in his pocket._

"_There is no way ore-sama will wear something like that. Tezuka, is it alright if we wear something else? Ore-sama will see to the making of the clothes." Atobe looked towards Tezuka for confirmation._

"_Very well then." Considering that this was Atobe, Tezuka did not have a doubt that Atobe would definitely be able to come up with something much better than these gunnysacks. "Just nothing too fanciful."_

"_Baka. Ore-sama's designs would definitely blow you all away. First, ore-sama must have your measurements though." He snapped his fingers, and a dozen men in black suits rushed out from who-knows-where before forming a line behind Atobe._

"_M-mafia!" Asakawa gasped._

_Atobe snorted at that. "These are ore-sama's personal tailors and designers. All of you. Go!" he snapped his fingers again and the tailors surged forward, going about with the task of taking the measurements of the 12 tennis players._

"_Tailors wear suits like these?" Oishi laughed weakly._

_Fuji merely chuckled at that. _

_Once they were done, the tailors gave a bow to Atobe and left as quickly as they came._

"_Rest assured, they would have the clothes done within a week." Atobe declared._

So it was, a week later they had their first practice in Atobe's mansion. The diva had told them that the K-High sportswear were now done, complete with a jersey. He also mentioned that they would be able to try it out during practice later.

Kikumaru and Asakawa were the ones who looked highly impressed the moment they got off Atobe's limousine. (The vice-captain had specially assigned for one limo to fetch all the tennis club members from school) Atobe made a grand sweeping gesture as he got off the limousine. "Welcome, my subjects. Be awed by ore-sama's palace. You would be pleased to know that there are around 20 courts in here."

He led the way in, and the others followed him. "So this is where you live, Atobe..." Kikumaru said admiringly.

Atobe snorted. "No. This is mansion 4, one specially built for me to do my leisurely activities. I live in the main mansion, along with my parents. Mansion 2 is in Italy, my holiday inn. Mansion 3 is in..."

"Enough, Atobe. Where are the courts?" Tezuka stopped the diva. Atobe was saying all these as if it was something normal, not noticing that the club members had their jaws unhinged even as he spoke. It wouldn't do with the rich kid boasting about his property like this. He might find himself kidnapped for ransom.

"Whoa!!!" Asakawa and Kikumaru let out an exclamation as the courts came into view. There really were so many of them and all looked like they were maintained daily. There were 3 courts specially for ball machine training.

Seeing the ball machines, Tezuka was trying hard not to smile as he recalled what Ryoma had told him about the Rikkai Dai experience. He wondered if he could hit the balls as accurately as Ryoma could.

"Oh. I forgot. There are another 5 courts indoors, in case it rains, so it's 25 courts, not 20."

Fuji chuckled as Oishi was trying to restrain his doubles partner from bouncing around the courts.

"With this many, you could at least invite another 2 schools and there would still be courts to spare." Yamato joked.

"Aa. Ore-sama has invited a few people to join us indeed. You might see them later."

"Who?" Kira asked curiously.

Atobe merely smirked. "You'll see. Step this way, my loyal subjects. You'll surely be amazed with your new uniforms."

As he led them inside the mansion, Kikumaru and Asakawa kept getting sidetracked every time they spotted something that caught their eyes.

As Kikumaru now held an oddly shaped vase in his hands, Atobe spoke up. "Be careful with that. That is one of ore-sama's most treasured items. It has a 5000 year old history and it's worth over 1 billion yen."

"Hoi?" Kikumaru was so surprised that he dropped the vase.

"Eiji!" Oishi yelled in warning.

The acrobat did a flip, so that now he was standing on one hand, while the other hand caught the vase before it hit the ground. He then got back on his feet and placed the vase back on its stand before giving the others a sheepish grin. "No harm done." He said.

Asakawa's jaw had dropped. "That...that's so cool! You caught it so fast."

"Well. This is Seigaku's acrobatic player after all. Ore-sama expected nothing less." Atobe said.

They reached a room with mirrors all around the walls. "Now if you would all wait here. Ore-sama would model the outfits, since ore-sama is obviously the best looking person here and the clothes would look best on me." He went off, leaving down a highly insulted bunch of tennis players.

He was back not too long later, with his tailor right behind him. Atobe now wore a jersey with so much glitter that the whole room lit up when he made an entrance. Also, the clothes were heavily studded with gems.

"What do you think? These rich garments do fit the image of ore-sama's tennis club, does it not?" he declared proudly.

Everyone gave a yelp and hurried to shield their eyes from the glare. Fuji was the only one not really affected, as his eyes were slits, as usual. Kikumaru suffered the worst, considering he had the best eyesight. "I can't see, Oishi! I'm blind!" he wailed.

"Atobe. That won't do. We're tennis players, not movie stars." Tezuka said finally.

Atobe brought out more clothes. One was so filled with peacock feathers that everyone in the room kept sneezing when Atobe came in, the other was made of silk, and finally, he brought in one that was made out of pure gold.

"What do you think? This suits ore-sama's rich tastes, does it not?" Atobe gave a hopeful glance at Tezuka, hoping that the captain would give the green light.

Tezuka was unreadable, as usual. "I agree. This suits your taste. Would you demonstrate your Rondeau to Destruction to us?"

Atobe could barely hop from all the weight. He scowled. "Fine. I get the point. This won't do as well. Looks like I'd have to show you the very last one then. Ore-sama made it specially for peasants with little taste for clothes."

He disappeared behind the door and reappeared sometime later. Most of the club members gave a sigh of relief when they saw the clothes.

This uniform came in a set of four, the jersey was white, with two stripes, one red, one orange running down the sides of the long sleeves. The collar was red, with an orange line around the edge. The track pants too had the same red and orange stripes running down its sides.

As for the attire to be worn during the games, the white, short-sleeved shirt had a red collar, with an orange line just like with the jersey. A red and orange stripe ran down the right shoulder to the hem. The white shorts too shared the same design, with the red and orange stripes on its right side.

As Atobe did a slow turn before them, they spotted the words **K-High Tennis Club** on the back of the jersey. Those same words were also printed on the shirt, just above the left chest.

"Well?" Atobe looked impatient.

Tezuka gave a glance at the other members, noting that they looked happy. He turned back to Atobe and gave single nod.

Atobe sighed. "Very well then. This would be the club's sportswear. Now, if you would each take a set." He snapped his fingers, and the servants hurried to distribute the clothes to the members.

Kikumaru was in his uniform moments later. He tried bouncing about. "This is easy to move in nya." He said happily.

The third and second years looked highly grateful. At least this looks more like clothes for a tennis club instead of their previous outfit, which made them look like safari rangers instead. "Thank you, Atobe-kun. You're very kind." Yamato said.

Atobe looked smug. "Of course. Ore-sama am actually a very generous person."

"Minna. Let's not waste anymore time now that we're done with the attires. Let's begin practice now." Tezuka ordered.

With that, they made their way back to the courts. Apparently they were not the only ones.

"Buchou! We've arrived as mentioned." Shishido said. Beside him, Choutarou nodded shyly at the K-High members.

"Oh? So you really are in the same club as Tezuka Kunimitsu." Oshitari said, amused. Gakuto and Kikumaru were now in a glaring competition. "Hey, have your acrobatic skills finally reached my level yet? Sad to say you'll probably never be able to. Try jumping as high as this!" Gakuto leapt so high, he could probably hop up a tree without much effort.

The next moment, Gakuto was staring at _two_ Kikumarus before him. "Try becoming as agile as me then, nya." Both said.

"Kikumaru." Tezuka frowned, and the acrobat stopped his display of skill.

"Gakuto. Don't try to challenge him in terms of agility. Don't forget that this is the player who did an Australian Formation in a _singles_ match." Oshitari warned his doubles partner, remembering how two Kikumarus had stood in a single file during the Nationals.

Gakuto did not look too happy about it, but he stopped bouncing about all the same.

"So these are the other people you've invited huh." Fuji smiled. He noted that all the former Hyotei third years were here.

"Ore-sama will always be Hyotei's captain. Right, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

"So of course ore-sama have kindly allowed to let my former players use my courts as ore-sama like."

"Aa." Tezuka did not object to that, seeing he had a soft spot for all his Seigaku players as well, especially one Seigaku player in particular...

Jiroh's sleepy eyes fell on Fuji, and he was wide awake almost immediately. "Fuji-kun! Is it alright if I have a match with you after this? I just defeated your little brother again yesterday and he sure wasn't a challenge at all. I hope he hadn't gone off crying."

The next moment, the sloth found himself staring into a pair of cold, hard blue diamonds. "Tezuka. Please excuse me for a moment." Fuji said in a deadly voice, his hand gripping his racket, causing K-High and Hyotei members alike to shudder.

"While Fuji's at it, I want to have a match with the kangaroo." Kikumaru chimed in.

"Hey!" Gakuto yelled, offended.

"No. We have no time for games like these. Fuji, Kikumaru. Save your strength for the competitions." Tezuka gave them a stern look.

Fuji did not look too happy about it, but obeyed all the same. His eyes disappeared once more behind half-closed lids.

"Ore-sama would see to it that K-High becomes the best this year. Don't expect me to go easy on any of you just because you were my teammates." Atobe gave them an arrogant stare.

"We were not intending to be going easy on you either, Atobe. See you in the inter-schools." Oshitari and the others went to a different court than the ones the Kanto students went to.

The club members got into line, with Tezuka and Atobe facing them. The regulars formed a line before the captain and vice-captain, as usual.

"Alright, we have our regulars. Now we would be concentrating on the inter-school competitions, which are held next month. Regulars are to follow a strict training schedule, while non-regulars would follow the usual training. That is all." Tezuka announced.

Atobe glanced down at the name list he held in his hands. "Fuji, Asakawa. Court G. The both of you would be training on ball machines today. Tezuka would be briefing you on it. Oishi, Kikumaru. Court C. Yamato, Kira. Court B. Ore-sama and Tezuka would be in Court A, of course."

"Come on, Oishi!" Kikumaru said happily as he dragged his doubles partner to their assigned courts. Yamato and Kira walked to Court B without saying much. Fuji gave Asakawa a smile. "Shall we go too?" he asked.

The redhead nodded, feeling nervous as he was still so new to this sport. As they made their way to one of the three courts that had the ball machines, Tezuka jogged to catch up with them.

"Fuji. Asakawa, listen up. The reason why Atobe and I placed both of you for this training is to get Asakawa-kun used to the sport. He is still new to this, so this machine should help him with his feel of the racket, as well as to improve his accuracy. Fuji. Please be his guide."

Fuji nodded. "I understand." As Tezuka jogged back to Court A, the tensai turned to Asakawa, who looked highly uncertain. "Don't think too much about it. We were all new to tennis once, and we understand how nervous you can be in the beginning. Just relax and do your best."

"I wonder about that..." Asakawa gulped as Fuji switched on the machines.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Aside from tennis, Atobe and the others made it a point to do a group study every time they came to Mansion 4. Atobe saw to it that each member had a personal tutor, of course. Kanto High, as mentioned had an exam-based system, and because of that, examinations were at the end of each month, much to Kikumaru's chagrin. The January examinations were just around the corner, and all of them poured over their books and notes while trying to catch up with what the tutors were saying.

Ayaka-sensei did her best for Class L, though there were a few times when she was absent as she had fallen ill. It couldn't be helped, considering she was the only teacher in Class L, and had to cover for all the subjects of the class. Still, thanks to her the students at least have a normal high school life.

Of course, occasionally student council president Kitsune would step into the class to give his 'happy' announcements about which clubs have closed. Atobe would then fire such a sarcastic retort that would have his cousin storming out of the class with fumes all around his head.

With that, they had managed to survive the first month of school, and the exams...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was the beginning of the second month when Tezuka and the rest had finally gotten over the culture shock of this school...only to lapse into yet another bout.

For they found out just how the students dated in this school.

"Ano...Sakurada-san. May I see your report card?" a girl asked meekly.

The addressed boy fished through his bag, took out a light blue book and handed it over to the girl, who flipped through it.

"Wah...full distinctions! You're so cool, Sakurada-san. Will you go out with me?"

"That depends..." he held out a hand, in which the girl placed her report card. He took a glance at it. "Oh? You're the first in class. Very well. I'll go out with you."

"Really?" the girl beamed.

Tezuka sighed as he walked past the now lovey-dovey couple. He was thankful that at least his relationship with Ryoma wasn't based on such childish thinking. He paused in that thought. Then again...what was his relationship with Ryoma based on...?

Nobody bothered to ask for the report cards of the L classes, so the boys and girls of that class were still single. The exception seems to be Atobe. Somehow word had gone out about his immense wealth, as well as the fact that he was related to Kitsune Mafuyu, and a small band of girls were already following him around. Not that the diva took any notice of them.

Things start to change, the day the results were posted on the board.

Kitsune Mafuyu, president of the school council and Kanto High's most eligible bachelor, was as usual taking a stroll down the corridors with his fellow student council members, parading himself for all his fans to gawk at.

"Kitsune! Kitsune! Kitsune!" cheers rang out wherever he went, and he basked in the attention.

Just then, he spotted a crowd around the notice boards, and a few were giving shocked gasps.

"Make way, make way. **I** wish to pass through." He said, and the crowd parted for him.

He reached the board and glanced through the results, noting that once more **_he_** had gotten the first place amongst all the third years. He noticed two class L students amongst the top 10. One was a Yamato, who had 5th place. The other was Senrou Kira, who had 10th place.

He frowned. Class L students were _always_ given exam papers which were far more difficult than the ones the rest of the school took. It was a way to make them leave their class with the promise of focusing more on their studies and giving up their sports. With exams like that, how could these L students get into the top ten?

He looked down the list for the first year students, curious to know how Atobe did. As his eyes came to the first years, a silent gasp boiled in his throat.

For out of the 40 students of class L, 25 were in the top 50, and 5 were in the top ten. His eyes scanned from bottom to top. 2 students from the badminton club had 8th place and 10th place respectively. Atobe Keigo was the 5th amongst all the first years, Tezuka Kunimitsu had 3rd place, and at 1st place was yet another L class student.

_Fuji Syuusuke_

"Kitsune-san. What do you think is going on?" his vice-captain was equally shocked, especially over the fact that one of the Lasts had bagged first place.

"This would not do well..." Mafuyu thought. One of the last things he needed was for the trend to change. He could hear a few girls whispering and frowned.

"Ne...isn't these L class students supposed to be the worst in the whole school? How is it that they can score results like these?"

"Maybe we can ask them about how they juggle their time between study and games." Another girl suggested.

"Oh. Kitsune-sama's cousin had fifth place. I suppose it runs in the family. I heard that this Atobe-sama is in the main family, while Kitsune-sama is in the branch family."

Kitsune gritted his teeth. One of the last things he wanted was to hear his dear, perfect, overly rich cousin being praised. He turned and walked off, with his vice-president and treasurer right behind him.

"The L class must have been having an open-book examination this year." His treasurer sneered.

"Either that or they cheated. What should we do, Kitsune-san?" his vice asked.

A slow smile spread on Kitsune's face. "We'll come up with something, of course. In the meantime, **I** think it would be a good way to set an example to those students, with their top student, of course. Fuji Syuusuke would never ever get first place again after this."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fuji opened his locker, and several love letters fluttered out. He chuckled. This was more like Seishun Gakuen now. He always had letters back then. Looks like the trend has caught on here too.

A soft swooshing sound could be heard the minute Tezuka opened his locker, as a waterfall of letters fell on him. The tennis captain frowned, staring at the small pool at his feet.

"It seems that most of these are from first years like us. They at least are not so influenced by the odd trend of this school yet, so they have nothing against athletes like us." Fuji kept the letters in his bag, deciding that he would give each a reply to reject them as kindly as he could.

Tezuka didn't bother to take the letters as he deposited all of them in the bin. His Ryoma was all he needed.

Fuji chuckled. How cute. He wondered what the Seigaku captain's reaction will be if he saw the amount of love letters Tezuka received. It was highly unlikely the K-High captain would breathe a word about it, of course.

"Tezuka. I would have to leave now as I promised Yuuta I'd treat him to lunch. Could you help me bring our homework to Ayaka-sensei's desk please?" L class' monitor handed over the stack of books to Tezuka.

"Aa." Tezuka took the books and headed off. He hoped to tell Ryoma about his results as soon as he could.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Reaching the staff room, Tezuka noticed that Ayaka-sensei wasn't around. Oh well, he'd just deposit these and leave.

As he made his way to her table, a couple of teachers from the other classes were busy chatting, though they paused as they gave Tezuka scornful looks, seeing that he was an L class student. Soon enough, though, they decided he wasn't worth giving attention to, and continued talking on, ignoring his presence.

"As I was saying...did you know that 5 L class first years were in the top 10?" one was saying.

The other gave a light laugh. "I couldn't believe it until I saw the results pasted on the board. I actually asked if there was some kind of mistake with the printing."

"The one teaching the L class is an Ishii Ayaka, is it not? I heard that when she entered this school and had heard about the class, she had made a personal plea to be assigned to teach it."

"I've heard about that one, headmistress Kitsune had sent her to another class, but headmaster Toruwa had granted her wish, and allowed her to teach the class. I wonder what the headmaster was thinking."

By now, Tezuka's attention was already caught, and he was taking his own sweet time with setting down the books, and was even arranging the names according to alphabetical order, so that he could hear more of the conversation.

"Oh. I've heard another thing about this Ayaka. Apparently both she and headmaster Toruwa were from the same school. _This_ school, in fact. That was before he transferred to another school. I've even heard that they were lovers."

"Maybe that's why she got into that class so easily. All she had to do was ask."

Tezuka scowled. What was with these people that they could gossip so terribly behind poor Ayaka-sensei's back? He decided he had heard enough and left the staff office, pondering what he had heard as he walked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Atobe Keigo was staring at the notice board for the 19th time that day, savouring the fact that he had gotten 5th place. His mother would be pleased to hear about this. Also, he could even drop his father an e-mail to tell him about the results.

"Well, well. You've really outdone yourself, cousin Keigo. **I** do hope you haven't fried your brain while trying to get these results." Mafuyu's coy voice could be heard behind him.

Slowly, Atobe turned around and looked at his cousin as one would look at a crushed beetle. He folded his arms.

"Don't worry, cousin. Ore-sama's excellent mind made sure that I understood everything I learnt. Unlike you, ore-sama don't have to study until ore-sama get eye bags as heavy as yours."

Mafuyu snorted. "These eye bags are not from studying. They're from **my** midnight calls to **my** fans."

Atobe smirked. His cousin was such a terrible liar.

Mafuyu glanced at the board again and smirked. "You're feeling proud just because you're at fifth place. But **I** have been at first place for every monthly exam, for three years in a row now. Cousin, you'd better enjoy your father's wealth while you still can. **I** would most likely take over Global Industries. You can go ahead and play all the tennis you want. Without the scores from your tennis club, there is no way you can beat **my** overall aggregate. If **I'm** kind enough, **I** might hire you to work there as a janitor, if you asked me nicely."

Atobe frowned. Mafuyu sure was direct in showing his zeal to take over his father's business. How he wished that foolish headmaster had never implemented this stupid system in the first place.

Mafuyu turned to leave, then paused in mid step. "By the way, cousin Keigo. It really surprised me when a Last Class student actually managed to get first place. I'm sure this would cause a lot of anger amongst the other students. Fuji Syuusuke is really pretty, isn't he? I wonder what would happen if he ever got _raped_."

Mafuyu left with a smirk etched on his face. Atobe, on the other hand had froze. He had known his cousin long enough to know that his cousin would never make casual statements like these if he hadn't meant them. That would mean..."

Atobe took off at a run.

_Where was Fuji?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fuji Syuusuke hummed to himself minutes after he had sent Tezuka on the errand to Ayaka-sensei's office. After he had gone to high school, his brother was considerably kinder to him, maybe because people no longer compare the both of them so much.

Fuji thought of what he should treat his brother to later. Western food? Dumplings? Or good old Kawamura Sushi?

As he crossed one of the corridors, he could hear an echo of voices. Loud voices, like someone quarrelling.

Fuji frowned as he halted in his steps. Curiosity got the better of him as he went to investigate the source of the voices. Eventually he found it, at the headmaster's office.

The door was slightly ajar, and the voices floating out of it could be heard clearly. Fuji decided to eavesdrop.

"Jun-kun. Do you have any idea what is going on in this school?" Ayaka-sensei's voice could be heard.

Fuji had never known that the sweet and gentle teacher could be so angry, and it scared him a little. Also, the teacher had addressed the headmaster by his name. Were they close?

The headmaster made no reply. Ayaka gave a frustrated sigh. "Jun. You should have seen the condition of the students in the L classes. All the other students are treating them like trash. As headmaster, shouldn't you at least have some responsibility towards this matter? Also, why aren't the exams standardized? My students had to take a paper that was so difficult, it covered chapters that even I haven't taught yet."

"They all passed, did they not? 25 of your students even got into the top 50." Toruwa pointed out.

Ayaka scowled. "Be thankful that they did, or I would have another thing to yell at you about. Jun. What is with this school now? Why the exam based system? Every normal high school has co-curricular activities except this one. What were you thinking?"

Toruwa was listening patiently as Ayaka ranted on about the school's new system. Finally, he spoke up again. "Ayaka...there is something you must know. I have virtually no power over governing this school."

Ayaka paused in mid-sentence. "What?" her voice sounded shocked.

Fuji's eyes appeared as he leaned closer to the crack of the door to listen.

"This school is governed by a board of directors, with myself and the headmistress as the head. Everything is done by a show of hands. Rules and regulations are decided by the majority of votes. I took over this position from my father, who was the previous headmaster. Sad to say, the board of directors have never quite taken a liking to me. So as I said, I have virtually no power over this school."

There was a long pause. "So these five years after you came into power, the one who implemented the exam-based system, as well as the starting of a separate class, the Last Class, it was all..."

"Ah. It's _her_." He affirmed.

Another long pause. "S...surely you can do something about this. You _are_ the headmaster. Your words should have more power in this school than anyone else's. Not even _her_. Surely you can do something, just like how you gave the order to let my club have the selections."

"Ayaka. Those are considered menial, and I do have minimal powers over such things. But to change the school system would require a meeting with the board of directors."

At this point, Fuji was peeking through the crack. He saw that the headmaster had a bitter smile on his face. "That day I helped your club after witnessing one of the freshmen. He reminded me of my former self. Except that he fought on despite his injury. There is nothing more I can do for your boys, Ayaka."

"You could if you wanted to. You're letting that grudge of yours hold you back. If you put in the effort, you could change this school's system. Do you know that almost everyone in this school hates your guts? They think that you're the mastermind behind all these!" Ayaka scowled.

Toruwa sighed. "It matter not, does it? I don't feel the need to change the system either. This school really has become the top with its full distinction rates. Not to mention there would be more peace within the school as it is now. There would be no student hurting another to get into the competitions."

Ayaka threw her water bottle at him, hitting him in the forehead. "I can't believe I'm hearing this from you! You've become as terrible as _her_! Jun...you are such an idiot!" she stormed out of the office, and Fuji hurriedly dodged away from the door as it flew open. Ayaka was so upset that she walked right past the tensai without noticing him.

Fuji tried to calm his pounding heart. He remained hidden for a while until the headmaster closed the door, then he sprinted towards the tennis clubrooms. He had to tell either Tezuka or Atobe about this. Hopefully at least one of them was around the area. Using his speed dial, he called his brother. "Yuuta. Gomen. Something came up and I might be delayed. You would have to wait for quite a while."

"It's alright, aniki." Yuuta's voice came from the other end.

Fuji smiled. "Yuuta. Wait for me at...what the..." he came to a dead stop at seeing his way blocked by two bulky upperclassmen, probably third years. A third one came from behind Fuji and snatched his hand phone out of his hands, and Fuji gave a loud protest.

"Aniki?" Yuuta's worried voice could be heard from the phone, but the senior switched it off.

He leered at Fuji, leaning close to the tensai's face. "So you're Fuji Syuusuke..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Tezuka had just left the staffroom. Looking at his watch, he decided to pick up the pace. Ryoma should have finished his training with Rikkai Dai by now.

Someone ran into him full tilt, causing both of them to topple to the ground. He frowned, though his eyes widened slightly at seeing who it was.

"Atobe?"

He had never seen the diva so worried before. Atobe's eyes were serious as they fell upon Tezuka.

"Where's Fuji?" he asked.

Tezuka got to his feet. "He went home earlier, as he said that he had something up. Why?"

Atobe looked slightly relieved at that. "I sure hope he's out of the building. Ore-sama received an...ah...anonymous tip that some people are out to bully him for getting first place."

Just then, Tezuka's phone rang.

"Hello? Oishi? What? Kikumaru said what...slow down! Fuji Yuuta called Kikumaru to say that his brother might be in trouble? I understand. I'll go look for him then." Tezuka switched off the phone, turning to Atobe.

"He's still in school." Tezuka confirmed.

Atobe gave a sigh. Once they get Fuji out of this mess, he was so going to sue Mafuyu's hair off. How dare his cousin touch _any_ of the tennis club members? "We had better look for our valuable tensai. Ore-sama believe he's in deep trouble."

To be continued...

A/N: I think my plot is really getting to be too obvious. Ah well, do tell what you think about this.

And before any of you get any ideas, rest assured that this fic is NOT Atobe X Fuji. It can be quite misleading, with the way I wrote it.

At first, I was rather disappointed that nobody had given suggestion for the uniforms. However, after reading the reviews today I'm glad to find a suggestion for the clothes. Would be using this throughout the fic then.

With any luck, by the next chapter I should be able to catch up to the 'Tina' chapter. If that's the case, might be updating both fics at once again, after chapter 6 of Life After Seigaku. Be sure to have your fingers crossed. Would mention in the next chappie's A/N if I'm updating the other fic.

Anyway, pls read and review.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. Wish I could own Tezuka and Ryoma, but I don't. (Sniffles)**

**Warning: Contains spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. Also, this chapter would be very long, as I'm going to write until it catches up with the other fic's story. I think it's about time I update both at once again...**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, Sanada X Yukimura. Very mild Oishi X Kikumaru hints. (I don't think I would make these two a couple, unless you people state otherwise in your reviews)**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 4 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: I think Fuji would be pleased to know that so many of you were worried for him. This chapter may contain mild abuse, on Fuji's part, of course. Would not be anything too serious, as this is only K+

Also, occasionally I would throw in Rikkai Dai's side of the story, considering our dear Inui is there. If Ryoma starts speaking in English, the words would be in bold.

Once again, **thank you all for reviewing**.

To the story then...

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 6

Fuji gave a soft grunt of pain as one of the three seniors shoved him hard against the wall. All three laughed as they watched Fuji's futile attempts to break free.

The tensai had always been a gentle counter-attacker in tennis, and he rarely played offensive. Physically, it was highly impossible for him to push away these three bulky gorillas.

Fuji scowled. He could not even defend himself with his racket, as one of the three had taken that away from him as well.

"Well, well. I wonder how is it such a wimpy guy like you could play tennis and still get first place." The one with dark hair and dark skinned said.

"He must have cheated. Say, L boy. Why don't you be good and just play your pitiful tennis. You don't deserve the first place. The Last class should remain at the bottom."

'Such sore losers.' Fuji thought.

The next moment one of them gave him a punch in the stomach, annoyed by his silence. "Why don't you say something, huh? Since you think you're such a smart guy!"

Fuji coughed, the wind completely knocked out of him. These guys really don't hold back their strength at all, do they? Still, he made no reply, though his eyes had appeared from behind their lids.

"Heh! He really is stubborn, isn't he? Why don't you scream for help then?" One of them sneered.

They continued to beat up the tensai, who endured it without making a sound. Tennis had long trained his patience, so this was nothing to him. He'll just have to bear with it a little. Bullies usually lose their steam after a while.

"We'll leave you alone, if you see to it that you fail the next examination." One of them said.

Fuji's icy-blue eyes gave his reply clearly.

At that, one of them made to do a backhand on Fuji's face, but the dark-skinned one stopped him.

"Not there. That would make the bruise too obvious. The other students will see it, and **_he_** wouldn't want that."

The man then leaned close to Fuji. "Besides…he really is pretty. We wouldn't want to leave a mark there, do we?"

"Is he really a guy?" another wondered aloud.

Fuji saw the unconcealed lechery in the three's eyes. He had a bad feeling about this.

The seniors exchanged looks. "Why don't we find out? Hey, Jack. Hold him." The black-haired one said, reaching for Fuji's belt buckle.

Fuji's eyes widened as his arms were pinned above his head. If these had been a bunch of beautiful babes he might not have minded it that much. There was no way in hell that he would allow _guys_ to molest him!

"Don't touch me!" Fuji's voice was deadly, speaking up at long last.

The three merely laughed and wolf-whistled. "Oooh. He actually can speak after all." One purred.

The black-haired one was still undoing Fuji's buckle. "Is protesting all he can do, I wonder?" he leered evilly as his hand made to reach inside the first year's pants.

As the guy's hand was in danger of trespassing over private territory, Fuji had, in his desperation, came up with the _fifth_ counter.

"Nutcracker!" he kneed the guy in the forbidden fruits.

The guy fell over immediately, howling and clutching his lower regions in pain.

The other two were so surprised by Fuji's sudden attack that they were momentarily stunned. Feeling the hand holding his arms loosen, Fuji gave a hard shove, making his captive stumble as his feet became unsteady. Fuji then made his escape, dashing as fast as he could from the three.

"Come back here, you brat!" they gave chase.

While Fuji obviously had the upper hand, as the three couldn't possibly outrun a tennis player who had been running rounds almost everyday, Fuji couldn't run his best as his body still ached from their beatings.

His chest was starting to hurt, as did his stomach. Why weren't there any teachers around? Those three sounded like they were catching up…

**WHACK! WHACK!**

At the sounds, Fuji chanced a glance behind him, only to find two of the three seniors lying facedown on the ground with lumps sprouting from the back of their heads.

At the other end of the hall stood both Tezuka and Atobe, their rackets still raised.

"Hmph. Not a bad serve, Tezuka. But looks like ore-sama's serves are still the best. The one I hit has a bigger bump on his head." Atobe pointed out proudly.

"This is not the time to boast about that, Atobe." Tezuka advanced on the remaining bully, the one who had his _precious_ wounded by Fuji.

"Yarou!" the guy attacked Tezuka.

Tezuka's expression didn't change. As the guy swung a fist, he dodged with lightning reflexes and aimed a blow at the guy's stomach, causing the gorilla to bend over again. Tezuka then went to Fuji, who chuckled.

"That guy really chose the wrong person to fight. I doubt that he knows about you being a karate black belt. Not that many people know anyway."

"I don't make fighting my hobby, so of course they wouldn't know. Are you alright, Fuji?" Tezuka asked.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." He winced as he felt a twinge of pain when he moved.

Tezuka noticed that. "I think you should go to the doctor's. You would need to have your injuries checked. I apologize for not making it here in time. Atobe and I went looking for you the minute we received word from your brother that you might be in trouble."

"Yuuta did?" Fuji suddenly felt much, much better.

"Aa." They turned to see the diva now stepping on the head of the fallen bully. "Such bravery, to pick on a player under ore-sama's wing. Would you like ore-sama to make your parents jobless? I could do that, with just the press of a button." It seemed that the sadistic streak in Atobe had awakened as his eyes narrowed, glaring down at the senior.

The boy whimpered. "I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!" he pleaded repeatedly, but Atobe continued to step on his head anyway.

"He has a sense of responsibility that can rival yours, Tezuka." Fuji noted.

"Aa." Tezuka walked over to the bully. "Who sent the three of you?" he asked. Fuji noticed that Atobe had stiffened.

"It...it was Kitsune-sama. He promised us places in the student council if we could see to it that Fuji was punished for his flaw."

Tezuka's glasses flashed, causing the guy to shriek and inch away. "He called that a flaw? I see. So he was upset by the results pasted on the board. How pathetic. "

Atobe pinned the bully with his trademark stare. The poor guy nearly peed in his pants at the sight of it. "Ore-sama am feeling generous today, so ore-sama will let you stupid peasants go, for now. If I so much as catch you lingering around _any_ of my club members again..." His voice promised a painful death.

The guy hurriedly fled, dragging his two unconscious pals with him.

'Cousin Kitsune. You have really gone too far this time.' Atobe's face darkened.

"You two. Regarding this, ore-sama would handle it. Ore-sama expect no interference from the both of you, and don't get in my way." There was something in Atobe's tone that told them it had to do with matters of Atobe's family, and both Tezuka and Fuji knew they were in no position to butt into the diva's affairs.

"Tezuka, Atobe. I think this school's new system has nothing to do with the headmaster. Well, not fully anyway." Fuji said as he suddenly remembered about the conversation between the headmaster and their teacher. He told them everything about what he had heard.

Tezuka too told them about what he had heard in the staff room. When both of them were done, Atobe frowned. "So Toruwa Jun is only a figurehead. He holds no power whatsoever, or it would be more accurate to say that he holds only a limited power, granted to him by the board of directors. Ore-sama would assume the _she_ Ayaka-sensei referred to was my baka Aunt."

Tezuka and Fuji did not ask further, and neither did Atobe look like he was going to explain about his family affairs. Silence fell between the three for a while, and it was Fuji who spoke up first.

"Tezuka. Atobe. Please do not spread about this to the others. Their aim was not just to frighten me into failing the next exams. I believe their real objective was to scare the other L class students. Let this remain between the three of us."

"I understand." Tezuka said, while Atobe gave a nod in agreement.

"Now then. Ore-sama would insist that you meet up with ore-sama's personal physician. I can't have one of my players playing like a duck during the competitions." Atobe snorted.

Fuji chuckled, knowing that Atobe was actually kind at heart, though the diva would most likely shave his head first than admit to that.

"Hai. I would have to treat Yuuta to dinner instead, by the looks of it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kitsune Mafuyu gave a weary sigh as he entered his mother's office, depositing his bag near the door before dropping himself onto the couch.

His mother, as usual did not look up from her paperwork.

"I think you would be pleased to know, okaa-sama, that I have scored 1st again, just as you ordered." He began.

The assistant headmistress snorted. "I knew that. I handled the paperwork." She neither sounded pleased nor displeased.

Mafuyu gave a bitter smile. It didn't matter even if he had gotten first place in the whole of Japan. He might as well have gone off to the pastures and announced his results to a cow, which might have looked more excited than his mother ever would.

Ah well, when he becomes the president of Global Industries in the future, he would see to it that all connections between this hag and himself were cut. He would want nothing to do with this power crazy woman in the future.

Mafuyu's mother signed one last document, placed it on the table, and then pinned her son with a stern gaze. "You may have gotten first place this round, but you can't relax yet. Keigo had gotten 5th place, meaning that he still has a chance to take over his father's position. Such a troublesome nephew, that guy. If I hadn't set the system to be exam-based, the scores from his outstanding tennis skills would definitely have caused him to overtake your scores a long time ago. Well, just my luck to have such a useless son who's so terrible at any form of sports." She gave a world-weary sigh and rubbed her forehead, not noticing that her son's hands were now clenched into fists.

Mafuyu was used to this, so he wouldn't voice out his frustrations. Nothing would come out of it even if he did.

He put on a smug mask, the one he always used. "Oh well. I'm impressed that you thought of implementing the system from so many years back. Cousin Keigo had only come to this school this year."

Kitsune Miyabi gave her son a disgusted look. "How dense can you be? Haven't I said it before? This system would not sink in amongst the students immediately. It will take time for them to give up their favourite sports and switch their focus to studies, and it will take an even longer time to let them start the anti-sportsmen trend by themselves. Hmph! Youths are really too predictable. I just had to make the exams more difficult than most of them can handle and immediately they shun those who are able to juggle between sports and studies, all because of their own jealousy. As more and more students picked up the trend, I can even drop the points obtained by co-curricular activities from being added into the aggregate scores, and no one had anything to say against that."

She chuckled to herself, pleased that her plan was working flawlessly. "It was sheer luck that the previous headmaster Toruwa had passed away in an accident, and had left a will for his son to take over his place. The board of directors allowed Toruwa Jun to stay as headmaster because they had greatly revered his father, but he is so young and inexperience in handling the school's affairs that his position on the board is shaky. It was an additional bonus that the grudge he has against his old school was well-known, which crippled his hold on the board. I just had to make sure the rumours continued and now, I don't think anyone in this school would be able to put the blame on us, as he is the main target of criticism. I'm really..."

'such a genius for thinking of this plan. Geez, woman. You've said this so many times that I can memorize your speech word by word already. Won't you just shut up?' Mafuyu thought savagely.

He sat up and spoke in a rather sarcastic tone. "Sorry to burst your bubble mother, but I think your flawless plan had been ruined, the minute your dear nephew set foot in the very class you created."

His mother frowned. "True enough. Knowing Keigo, he would most likely pool all his resources to make sure his club doesn't die out. Not that it really matters, since my real target is the points system. However, it disturbed me to see the results for the first years. To think that all the L class students had passed this round, and so many had gotten into the top 50, and one even had first place..."

'I wonder if he'd still have first place this round. Those three should be having fun with him by now.' Mafuyu thought, trying to hide the grin from his face.

"...I knew immediately that Keigo must have something to do with this and did a little investigating by...encouraging some of the class' students to tell me about it."

Mafuyu knew then when his mother said 'encouraging', what she really meant was 'bribing' or 'threatening'.

Miyabi paused to catch her breath before continuing on. "Sure enough, Keigo had been aiding the class, for he..."

::: Cut scene :::

"Class, I have an announcement to make. As you all know, the exams are just two weeks away. Atobe-kun has kindly offered to help us with our preparations." Ayaka-sensei announced.

All the students exchanged looks, while Atobe had a smug expression on his face that says 'be impressed by ore-sama's generosity and thoughtfulness'.

Ayaka turned to the door. "Please come in."

The door slid open, and ten men-in-black stepped in, each complete with what looks like two guns.

"Are there aliens around here?" Kikumaru, being the one who had watched the most movies, whispered to his doubles partner.

"Don't be silly, Eiji." Oishi scolded. Kikumaru gave a chuckle in return.

"These are ten of Atobe-kun's personal tutors. They would be lending me their aid in helping to reinforce my lessons. All ten of them would be walking around the class after I'm done teaching, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask either myself or these gentlemen."

Kikumaru looked awed. "So they're not the men-in-black after all. So why are they holding guns?"

Atobe suddenly raised his hand, and Ayaka nodded for him to speak.

"Sensei, since these are my tutors, may I give the explanations?" Atobe asked.

"Very well, Atobe-kun." Ayaka gave her permission.

Atobe cleared his throat. "Listen up, my wise subjects. These are ore-sama's finest tutors, and they are here to see that all of you understand every single word from our sensei's lessons. Be warned that they would be very, very strict on all of you, regardless of whether you are a girl or a boy. If anyone dozes off during Ayaka-sensei's lessons, they would use the blue gun."

One of the tutors used the gun and fired a jet of water at Asakawa, who was nodding off from boredom the minute Atobe had begun speaking. The poor guy awoke with a start, gave a yelp and fell of his seat. That prompted the whole class to start laughing.

"I see. A water gun." Oishi smiled.

Atobe snapped his fingers, and all of them stopped laughing, their attention focused on him once more. "After lessons, these tutors will walk around and you are free to ask questions. You may ask for the same explanation for only a maximum of two times. After two times, if you still do not understand what has been explained to you, the tutors will use the red gun."

Another tutor lifted up said gun and activated it. Immediately they could see an electric charge crackling there.

The whole class paled. A stun gun...

"If you think you can avoid this by not asking any questions, think again. Ten minutes before the bell rings, the tutors would pick out students at random to ask questions about the day's lessons. Anyone who is unable to answer to the questions or has answered incorrectly would be rewarded with the same red gun."

There was stunned silence in the class, broken by a squeak from Eiji, who passed out and fell onto Oishi's lap.

"Eiji!!!"

::: End of cut scene :::

Mafuyu sighed. "That definitely is something cousin Keigo would do. It was pretty effective though, seeing the results. I think you have one more thing to worry about, okaa-sama. As I've heard, the tennis club would soon be having the inter-school competitions. When that happens, the public would know about the condition of this school. At that time, we would be forced to change the system."

To his surprise, his mother merely smiled. "I know. This round, I've decided to not do anything about it. I'll let them have their competition. Who knows. It might work in my favour."

By those words, Mafuyu knew his mother already had something up her sleeves. He got up.

"I understand. Whatever your decision is, my student council would be right behind you."

Miyabi snorted in reply at that. "I don't expect anything else. Who did you think made you president in the first place. Leave now. I have work to do." Once more, she buried her face in paperwork as Mafuyu picked up his bag, made a dirty sign at her and stormed out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tezuka gave a rough account to Ryoma about the scores, and how the students were celebrating in their class at the results. He did not mention about Fuji being bullied because of it, of course.

"Heh...not bad, third place. Congratulations. Fuji got first place? I'm not surprised, considering he is a genius. But...the Monkey King actually got fifth place???" Ryoma did not sound too pleased about that.

Tezuka chuckled. It seems that Ryoma and Atobe would not be becoming best friend anytime soon.

Ryoma gave a sigh. "Ah well. I'll treat you to lunch one of these days. It's to celebrate your results."

Tezuka's heart did a cheer. "Tomorrow then?" he asked.

"Nope. Tomorrow won't do. I've promised Inui-senpai that I'll be going over to Rikkai Dai. It's their selections tomorrow."

"I see. Wonder how the Rikkai Dai selections are done..." Tezuka muttered.

"Will tell you all about it when I get home. Let's see. How about Friday instead? After both our practices."

Tezuka thought about it. Well, he had nothing on that day anyway. "Aa." He agreed.

"It's a date then. Kawamura Sushi, as usual." Ryoma's voice was toneless, as usual. Though Tezuka thought he caught a hint of excitement in the boy's voice.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After the incident involving the tensai, both Tezuka and Atobe kept a watchful eye over all their club members.

The first thing Atobe did was to see to it that none of the members had to _walk_ to school again.

So now, it has become a common sight in Kanto High to see at least 10 limousines driving up to the school gates every morning, as Atobe had ordered for his chauffeurs to help drive the tennis players to and from school. Fuji and Tezuka, who always walked to school together as their houses were near each other's, took the same limousine to school, while Oishi shared his limo with Kikumaru.

Aside from that, another common sight was the men-in-black prowling around the school, and students who had tried to bully any of the L class students would find themselves whisked away by these M.I.B.

Also, as Fuji needed time to recover from his injuries, Tezuka had cancelled practice for the rest of the week, ignoring their protests. Both he and Atobe even came up with a thousand and one excuses for it. Atobe had given the excuse that 'his mansions were temporarily unavailable, as he had a dinner party going on, and only the rich and famous were invited.' That excuse was definitely believable, though Tezuka, Oishi and Fuji had to stop some of the offended players from murdering Atobe for his statement.

What really stopped all the protests, however, was Tezuka's favourite punishment—Kawamura's Spiciest Volcanic Wasabi Sushi. Most of the club members had a taste of it during their previous practices whenever they did faults, and even Fuji was mildly afraid of the sushi, which was saying something.

When Friday came, Tezuka was looking forward to the date with Ryoma. Currently most of the club members were in low spirits, as they had missed 4 days' worth of tennis practices. As the bell rang, signaling the end of the day, Asakawa had rushed off with a hurried apology, as he had other things to do. Atobe had gone home too, leaving only the Seigakurians.

Kikumaru was absent-mindedly twirling his pen when he was struck by an idea.

"Minna! Why don't we all go to Kawamura Sushi for dinner? We haven't seen Kawamura in a while." The acrobatic player suggested.

Tezuka, who was still packing his bag, with his head filled with images of a golden-eyed Seigaku captain, stiffened at the suggestion. 'Not good!'

"That's a good idea. Minna, let's meet there at 4."

At the moment, Tezuka was feeling rather deflated. How would he explain waltzing into that place with Echizen? Kawamura was the only one who knew about their relationship so far, as both he and Ryoma went there often enough, but what would the rest say?

He sighed. Looks like he'd have to cancel today's date. As he picked up his phone to send Ryoma a text message, he noticed Fuji studying him. The tensai even had a sly grin on his face.

"Ne. Tezuka. Why don't you bring _Echizen-buchou_ along? The more the merrier." Fuji suggested innocently.

The K-High captain wondered whether he should be thankful for that. Well, Fuji did save him, as now he could bring Ryoma there without arousing suspicion. But what would Ryoma say now that their date would really be in a crowd.

"Aa." He gave the usual reply, hoping that nothing more could go wrong today.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

::: Intermission :::

The same week, rewind back to Tuesday, Rikkai Dai

"Go! Go! Rikkai Dai! Let's go, let's go! Rikkai Dai!" a whole troop of the cheering squad yelled, with the guys wearing black, and a few were hitting the drums, while the girls wore cheerleader outfits, waving their pompoms.

Ryoma recognized this cheering squad as the one who went during the Kanto tournament. He sighed. Rikkai Dai really takes tennis seriously, don't they? This wasn't even a competition. Only the regulars' selection.

At the moment he was doing some warm ups for the fun of it, hoping to catch what the selections would be like. The Rikkai Dai members were, at the moment, doing one round around the whole school. It was a custom for them before their selections.

The ones who were eligible to try for the position as a regular were the second years and third years, though Kirihara-buchou had made exceptions for the first years who had been regulars before.

Ryoma looked up as the spectators began cheering. Sounds like the others were back from their run. He spotted a player from the junior high section standing near him. He frowned. Ryoma definitely knew that guy.

"So, Kirihara's little brother. Here to see your aniki in action?" Ryoma smirked.

Kirihara Akaya turned to him, recognizing him in an instant. "What are you doing here...oh wait, aniki mentioned that you were helping the club with their training. Then again, what are you doing here? There are only the selections today and there wouldn't be any training after that."

"I was asked to help out with the selections, though I have yet to be told what to do." Ryoma explained.

The younger Kirihara snorted. "Maybe you're to help hold the flag. Heh. Anyway. I heard that you're Seigaku's new captain. I'm Rikkai Dai's new captain as well. Hope to beat you during the next Kanto tournament.."

"Mada mada dane..." Ryoma smirked in reply. So now both Kiriharas were captains. It must run in the family.

"Ah! Aka-chan! I'm glad that you can make it!" Kirihara Akira glomped his younger sibling.

Akaya blushed, while Ryoma's shoulders were shaking with silent laughter. Looks like Akira was another Fuji Syuusuke. To think that the Devil Kirihara had such a harmless sounding nickname.

(A/N: Aka-chan means baby)

"Aniki! Haven't I said before never to hug me or to call me Aka-chan in public!" he scowled.

Akira released his little brother. "Ah. Gomen, gomen. I keep forgetting. Anyway, Echizen-kun. Sorry to keep you waiting. If you would follow me." He led the Seigaku captain to the front of the second years and third years who would be competing.

"Members! Assemble please." He ordered politely.

Everyone did so, looking curiously at Ryoma, all wondering why was he in front of them.

Kirihara exchanged looks with vice-captain Sano, who nodded. The captain then faced his members again.

"Minna. We would be starting our selections shortly. This round, we would be trying a different selection. Everyone would be split into groups of 5, and each group would have to enter Court A. All five members of the group would then fight against Echizen-kun here."

Everyone blinked. "Er...buchou. You mean the members of the group fight against him one by one, or all five would be fighting him at the same time?" a second year asked.

Akira beamed. "Precisely what I mean. All five would pit against him at the same time. The ones who can hit at least three balls past Echizen without him being able to return it would become regulars."

All of them gaped, wondering if the captain had lost his mind. Ryoma pulled down his cap. "Interesting..." he muttered.

Most of the members burst out laughing at that. "5 against 1, and there would be so many groups, so this chibi would tire out soon enough. This must be the easiest selection I've ever seen!"

Kirihara turned to Ryoma. "You wouldn't mind, I hope."

Ryoma shrugged, picking up his racket. "Betsuni." He said, heading towards court A.

The first group soon found themselves facing the boy, who was getting ready to serve. All five of the boys snickered. "Oh, wait just one moment, Echizen-kun. I forgot one very important detail. Could you go into your Ten'i Muhou no Kiwami for us?" Kirihara suddenly added from the sidelines.

Ryoma sighed. He thought so. There was no way Kirihara would let him fight against 5 like this.

Everyone tensed as they felt the golden aura rolling off the Seigaku captain as he entered his state of self-actualization. His narrowed golden eyes glared down at the five before him, who were freaked out by the sudden change in the boy, not to mention this was the first time all of them were seeing this.

"**Let's dance.**" Echizen served...

Less than half an hour later, Ryoma had pulverized over 10 teams already, and none of them became regulars. While the ones he defeated lay panting all over the ground, Ryoma still looked like he had not played at all, and his breathing was still even.

"**You call that tennis?**" the boy gloated.

The next group came in, and Yukimura was one of them.

"Looks like I'd have to be serious to beat you." Yukimura also went into his state of self-actualization, activating the Pinnacle of Hard Work, the same state as Tezuka's.

While the other four were defeated easily, Yukimura put up a fierce battle, and managed to hit three balls past Ryoma before the time ran out. With that, he became the first regular.

Eventually, after many battles, they finally had the regulars, though some had to try again as they had only managed to hit two shots past Echizen when the time ran out, and there weren't eight regulars yet.

Kirihara-buchou was panting from the match, as was the vice-captain Sano. For the ones who performed badly, they had to help themselves to a nice, steaming mug of Inui Juice.

Sanada clung on to Yukimura protectively as the victims were slowly drained of their life from the toxic. There was no way he would let his Yukimura touch that thing ever again. The Golden Pudding experience had cut both Yukimura and his life short already, and he would not want to have that experience again.

Once Kirihara had managed to catch his breath, he announced the regulars.

"Alright. We now have our eight regulars. First year-Yukimura Seiichi, First year-Sanada Genichirou, First year-Yanagi Renji, First year-Inui Sadaharu, Second year-Hiro Kaminari, Second year-Taki Isu, Third year-Sano Iruga and finally third-year-Kirihara Akira."

He rolled up the list, while the vice-captain began to speak.

"Let's do our best. Remember the motto of Rikkai Dai--Losing is not permitted. Also, let's thank Seigaku captain Echizen Ryoma for helping us...where is he?" Sano looked around.

Outside the fence, Kirihara Akaya cleared his throat, getting his older brother's attention. "Aniki. You seemed to have forgotten your baggage in there." He pointed to court A.

Ryoma had been KO'ed, as he was now lying facedown on the court.

"Echizen-kun! Oh my gosh! Someone get help! No! An ambulance! Is he hurt? It would be my fault if he is." The motherhen captain went into a frenzy as he tried to pick up the boy, only to find him snoring soundly. "Eh?" he was confused.

Inui suddenly appeared behind him, with glasses glinting. "Let me explain. The state of self-actualization actually drains the player's stamina far faster than normal, even though it also enhances the player's abilities. Luckily Echizen here has the Pinnacle of Perfection, which allows Echizen to have some control over his stamina, so it doesn't drain so fast. Otherwise he wouldn't be able to play so many rounds. I suppose his battery had run out. Just let him rest. He'll be alright in a while."

"I see. Can someone carry this boy to the bench and let him rest there?" Kirihara asked.

Yanagi shut his notebook. "I'll do it." He lifted the boy up and made his way to the nearest bench.

On his way there, Ryoma had moved slightly. "Kunimitsu..." the boy muttered in his sleep, and he smiled a little.

Yanagi's eyes widened. Did he actually hear that right? Kunimitsu...as in...Tezuka _Kunimitsu_?

Once Yanagi set the green-haired captain down, he flipped open his notebook again. Very interesting data he had...

::: End of Intermission ::: (Please fast forward back to Friday)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Both Tezuka and Echizen entered Kawamura Sushi slightly past 4. Ryoma had just walked in when Kikumaru gave the usual greeting--bear hug.

"Ochibi!!! Tezuka-buchou! You really brought him!" the acrobatic player seemed happy. He took a good look at Ryoma, since this was the first time he saw the prodigy in a while. The others, on the other hand had seen Ryoma in the clinic when Tezuka had his right arm treated.

'Hoi! Since when did the chibi become so good-looking?' Kikumaru wondered, feeling mildly envious. "Eh? Ochibi is around my height now? Since when did he grow so fast?" Kikumaru said aloud.

"I'm not that short even before this, Kikumaru senpai." Ryoma defended himself.

Kikumaru took a good look at Ryoma. Deciding that the boy was still looking as innocent as ever, he hugged the boy again. "At least he's still cute and cuddly!" he said.

Tezuka felt a sudden sense of possessiveness towards Ryoma. "Kikumaru!" he snapped, while Oishi had reprimanded his partner at the same time. 'Get your hands off my Ryoma!' Tezuka's mind growled.

It was a few moments later before he realized his slip of tongue, as all the others were now staring at him. He hurriedly put on his mask to keep his embarrassment from showing.

"The sushi's getting cold. You'd better let Echizen-buchou eat it while it's still hot." He said, hurriedly making up a lame excuse.

Moments later, he really wanted to smack his head against the nearest wall. How could sushi get cold? It already is cold! Fortunately Kikumaru hadn't really been listening to him and did not seem to have heard that slip, though Inui and Fuji had, as Fuji gleefully pointed out his mistake when they were all seated.

Inui then mentioned about the selections. As Ryoma hurried to take a look, Tezuka too took a glance.

'So Ryoma was sent to Block A, while Momoshiro and Kaidou were sent to C.' Tezuka thought.

When Oishi suggested that they take a look at the selections, Tezuka agreed, as he too felt like paying his old school a visit. "Alright then. We'll bring our regulars along to have a look." He said.

Ryoma looked surprised. "You've already had your regulars' selection? That was fast. School had just started a little over a month ago."

"Ah well, we just decided to push the date forward…" Oishi hurriedly replied. Tezuka felt Ryoma give him a frown, as Tezuka had not mentioned about it at all in their phone conversations. He wondered what the boy's reaction would be if he finds out that the truth was that the club had so few people that they decided to hold the selections early, since it wouldn't need much planning anyway with so few players to choose the regulars from.

Fuji had been having a conversation with Inui for a while now. Tezuka could not hear what they were saying, since both were speaking in such low voices. But the next moment, Inui stood up to leave.

"I have some things to deal with now. I must take my leave. See you all again." he said.

As Inui pondered what the tensai had told him, the data tennis player frowned.

'So my data regarding the Kanto High headmaster is wrong? I'd have to recheck this...' he thought.

He had barely walked far when a girl bumped into him.

"Watch where you're walking, stupid! Are you blind? Maybe you should have your glasses checked!" She snapped at him so fast it connected in one sentence.

Inui blinked, completely confused. By the time he came back to his senses, the girl had walked off with a huff. She disappeared inside Kawamura Sushi.

Inui had a bad feeling about this...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tezuka wondered if he had offended any nasty spirits today. First, his date with Ryoma was ruined, now this utterly _revolting_ girl had just barged in.

"Ochibi! Who's that?" Kikumaru asked.

"No one of importance." Ryoma said quietly. Tezuka couldn't read his expression as the boy had pulled down his cap.

"The name's Tina. Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeenna. I'm Ryoma's girlfriend." She said in a false girly voice. Her pitch was a cross between a squeal and a shriek when she said all the 'eee's. She was now speaking in heavily accented Japanese.

Tezuka's eyes narrowed with dislike at that, while Fuji's eyes opened. "Girlfriend?" the tensai asked.

Ryoma gave them an explanation of how the girl had stalked him all the way from America. When he was done, Oishi chuckled. "I see…interesting girlfriend you have there."

Tezuka twitched, feeling offended by the word. He suddenly felt like leaving.

"She's not my girlfriend." Ryoma had said in that flat tone of his, and Tezuka couldn't tell if he was serious or not.

The girl squealed, and Tezuka felt a headache rip through his skull. He tried to distract himself by picking up another sushi and popping it into his mouth.

"That's so mean, Ryoma! We even kissed back in America."

Brilliant. Now the sushi went down the _wrong_ passage. Tezuka soon found himself choking, his mind mercilessly repeating a word in his head. "Kissed...kissed...kissed..."

So Ryoma had his first kiss taken away already, and they haven't even kissed all these times they were dating...Tezuka thought mournfully.

He was so busy brooding that he did not hear the rest of the conversation, as his mind was too busy projecting images of Ryoma in a lip lock with someone else.

Just then, Ryoma stood up. "I understand. Let's go." To his horror, Ryoma left with that girl, who was clinging tightly to his arm.

Wait...just how much of the conversation had he missed? Why was Ryoma going home with someone else? Was that a guilty look Ryoma threw him?

Tezuka did not realize that his face was now so murderous; the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped below zero degrees. Kawamura threw him a sympathetic look and went to apologize to the customers, who were flustered by the drama caused by that Teeeeeeeeeeeena. Fuji opened his mouth to say something, but Tezuka got to his feet.

"I'm leaving." He muttered, paying for his food.

Kikumaru was the only one still spirited in the room. "Don't forget tomorrow! We'll meet by 7.30am, as the selections start at 8." He chirped.

Tezuka said nothing as he left, hoping that a good night's sleep would clear his head.

To be continued...

A/N: Finally managed to catch up with the other fic...brain drain...

So sorry that there are a lot of repetitive conversations. Trying to reduce the number as best as I can. I'm actually using chapter 4 of Echizen, Our Buchou as a guide when I wrote this. Have made some changes to that chapter and replaced it, so that the story tallies with this.

For all those who have forgotten about the 'Kawamura's Spiciest Volcanic Wasabi Sushi', please read chapter 1 of this fic. Tezuka had a first hand experience with it.

I think most of you noticed that a lot of my chars have sibling/parents/son or daughter complex. I love these kind of chars, as I find their over protectiveness funny. However, none of my chars would go over to the 'incest' type of love. I don't like those and I don't encourage them in the least bit, so you won't find those in my stories.

Now that the story has finally caught up, the next chapter would be posted along with Echizen, Our Buchou. I'm not sure when I might have to stop the other one again, cause this fic has a rather complicated storyline, and would be having more chapters.

P.S. The competitions go in this order—inter-school, District, State then Nationals right? Hope someone could confirm this. Also, usually they're in which months? For this fic, I'm putting them in February, April, July and October. Holidays would then start in mid November onwards. Heh. This is more to the system in my country. Hope you guys could picture that.

Well then. Look forward to both of the fics being posted again. Read and review please.

**-Gwyn**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. I only own my original chars, though if any of you would like to adopt the supersonic OC Tina, be my guest. Kekeke.**

**Warning: Contains spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. Contains very annoying original character.**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, Sanada X Yukimura. I've dropped Oishi X Kikumaru from the pairings. Decided to just let them be friends. Would have very, very mild hints between them that are free for interpretation.**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 5 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: Finally, this fic would follow the storyline of Echizen, Our Buchou's chapter 5. If possible, read that fic first before reading this. **Thank you all for your reviews**. They help to keep my spirits up.

**Ninetailsthefoxpokemon**, **merissala** and **Liek Traum**, thank you all for the explanations about the order for the tournaments. You've helped me a lot. The months these competitions will be held are as mentioned in the previous chapter. Not changing that.

Also, I think some of you have noticed that I've written Tezuka as a Karate black belt in the previous chapter. I've always thought that he looked like someone who could fight, especially after seeing him do a backhand on Ryoma in the anime. (The scene where Echizen wanted to accept Kevin Smith's challenge despite Tezuka's orders). It has been one of my evil fantasies that Tezuka would look good fighting, and he would definitely look very ::cough::sexy::cough:: in the Karate outfit, with his black belt and all. Do any of you agree?

Both fics would be updated together again now that 'Tina' had finally made her appearance.

**Tina: That's right! Ryoma, my Prince! (Bursts into hysterical giggles)**

**Tezuka: (Glares) Is she really staying? We wouldn't miss her even if you got rid of her.**

**Tina: (supersonic mode on) So mean! So mean! So mean!**

**Asakawa: (ears covered) Kill her...**

**Yamato: Kill her...**

**Kira: If only I had the Death Note...**

**Kikumaru: Just kill her already nya...**

**Oishi: That's not a very nice thing to say, Eiji. But she is very annoying...**

**Fuji: (Eyes open) Saa... I agree. Kill her.**

**Tezuka: Aa.**

**Atobe: (calling the mafia)**

**Gwynhafra: Gomen, but she'll be staying for another few chappies. Please bear with it, minna.**

**All the regulars: Gwynhafra...**

**P.S. **As mentioned in the other fid, if I do put in any swearwords, I would censor it by either replacing it with another word or by putting a (Beep!) there. Good luck trying to spot which are the censored words. Hehe.

Alright then, to the story...

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 7

"They're so late nya. The selections must have begun already..." Kikumaru whined, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Fuji chuckled. It was just like Eiji to be impatient. The tensai always wondered how many spare batteries the hyper-energetic acrobatic player had.

Currently the only ones here were Kikumaru, Fuji, Yamato, Asakawa, Kira and Tezuka. Yamato and Tezuka looked rather eager to see what Seishun Gakuen was like now, while Asakawa ands Kira were looking forward to the selections. It would be a good experience for them to see what the selections were like in this school, considering the experience they had back in Kanto High was rather disappointing.

Oishi arrived some time later. "Gomen, minna. I hope I'm not too late. Was helping an old lady cross the road, a girl retrieve her cat out of the tree and an old man trim his hedges."

That was just like Oishi, known for his kind heart and overly worried nature. "It's alright, nya. Now where is our vice-captain?" Kikumaru began bouncing faster than ever, so much that Oishi looked like he wanted to tie a rope around Kikumaru's waist to prevent him from bouncing up the roof of the bus stop.

"Speak of the devil..." Asakawa jerked his head in the direction of an incoming limousine.

The silver automobile came to a halt before all of them. Two men got out of the car and rolled out a red carpet before the door, which opened to reveal the diva himself. Atobe was still in the act of grooming himself, it seems, as he was holding his pocket mirror before him, with his hand running through his sliver-grey hair.

He stepped out of the limo and walked to the rest of them. "Good job, my loyal subjects, to wait so patiently for ore-sama. Ore-sama am feeling kind enough to grace all of you with my presence."

"You're late, nya!" Kikumaru frowned.

"Ah. But isn't it your duty to wait on your sovereign? Ore-sama have even humbled myself to take this public transport you peasants call a 'bus'. Ore-sama really don't understand why we can't go in my limousine instead. Would make a better entrance for ore-sama's club, wouldn't it?"

"The Seigaku players are now having their selections, and we would not want to cause a distraction for them. Also, Atobe. For being late, 10 rounds around the courts in our next practice." Tezuka ordered.

Atobe winced visibly. He hated being ordered around by anyone, especially peasants. "Hmph. Whatever then, buchou. Ore-sama at least would show some respect by listening to your orders, even though they are below me. Be awed by ore-sama's humility..."

"Atobe. We're going to leave you here if you don't hurry up." Asakawa said, amused. Atobe blinked, realizing that the bus was already here, and the others have already boarded it. With that, he went on too, with two of his personal bodyguards following him to shield his royal self from contact with 'filthy peasants'.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Looks like it had started quite a while ago." Fuji stated, seeing that the selections were in full swing. Up ahead, Momoshiro and Kaidou seemed to have just finished their games as they were yet in another squabble.

"Hoi hoi! The both of you have already finished your games? Aw…I can't believe we're late." Kikumaru chirped, latching himself onto Momoshiro.

"Eiji!" Oishi chided him, as usual. Kikumaru merely grinned, looking at the board to see the groups.

"Wasn't both Momoshiro and Kaidou supposed to be in Block C? Why is Momoshiro in Block B?" Kikumaru asked.

"They changed the order at the last minute, as there were too many players in C, while someone from B was absent today." Inui explained. He was seated at a table before the board to help take down the marks. Beside him, on yet another table was a jug of...Chinese ink? A shudder ran down all of the former Seigaku players, minus Yamato, who hadn't had the experience of Inui juice yet. Atobe too was inching as far as humanly possible away from the drink.

Asakawa and Kira were looking around with interest. "Hmm? So this is the atmosphere of the Seigaku selections." Asakawa asked, his eyes sparkling.

Atobe snorted. Peasants really were too easily impressed. "This is nothing. Back in Hyotei, we even had cheerleaders for the selections."

The only one who hadn't spoken was the stoic captain. Tezuka was feeling much better after a good night's rest, deciding that the banshee experience was only a dream. No, a nightmare would be more appropriate a word. Not to mention he was glad to be back in this school, even though it had been barely a few months when they had all left.

"Ah. You're all here already?" The sound of Ryoma's voice made him look up. Ryoma's golden eyes were sparkling with delight at the sight of all of them, though he quickly got into a glaring competition the minute he locked eyes with Atobe.

Momoshiro suddenly nudged the Seigaku captain. "Yo, buchou. That girl is looking for you again. Very unusual girlfriend you have there. Your tastes are really abnormal."

Both Seigaku and K-High members alike turned to where Momoshiro indicated. What met their eyes was the actress of a cheap horror movie, for the girl who had intruded into Kawamura Sushi yesterday was now standing not too far away from them, with a dress of such clashing colours that their eyes hurt. Also, she had stitched an unknown picture on the front of her dress, though Fuji later commented that it might be Ryoma since the words 'My Prince' were on top of that picture.

Tezuka felt his head pound. So it wasn't a dream after all... He looked mildly amused, however, when Ryoma attempted to hide behind him, as the girl was causing such a ruckus that most of the players who weren't playing had their attention on their captain.

"How did she come into this school?" Ryoma groaned. Tezuka, on the other hand felt that it wasn't impossible. Today was a Saturday, and outsiders would have more freedom coming in and out of this school. Besides, she would most probably have already killed all the guards at the gates with her supersonic shrieks.

"Nice dress. Is that a squirrel wearing a cap?" Momoshiro snickered, looking at the picture sewn on the girl's dress. Kaidou gave a rare chuckle at that.

The next moment Ryoma had pinned them with such a glare, it could rival that of Atobe's, or even Tezuka's. "Momo-senpai. Kaidou-senpai. 30 laps around the courts…" he ordered in a low, deadly voice.

"Hai!" They fled. 'Even I would run too, if Ryoma looked as scary as this.' Tezuka thought bemusedly.

"Hoi!Hoi! Looks like Ochibi is more of a sadist than Tezuka had been." Kikumaru stated.

The acrobatic player then leaned over to his doubles partner, whispering so that Ryoma wouldn't be able to hear him. "Was that a squirrel? I thought it looked more like an ape."

"So this is the Seigaku captain all of you have mentioned, the one who made it into the regulars as a first year?" Asakawa asked. He had wanted to meet this 'Echizen' as the former Seigakurians had mentioned about him on several occasions.

"Indeed, Asakawa-kun." Fuji affirmed.

Asakawa shook Ryoma's hand. The Seigaku captain gave him a blank stare in return. Tezuka thought the boy had winced slightly. Then again, he remembered that Ryoma didn't really like physical contact with people, especially not strangers.

"Hi. I saw you quite a while back at the clinic where Tezuka had his hand treated, but we have not been formally introduced. I'm Asakawa Kantarou, one of the regulars for Kanto High and Fuji's doubles partner. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu."

Ryoma blinked at him, face still devoid of any emotions. "Echizen Ryoma. Yoroshiku."

Asakawa felt intimidated. This guy was a snowman, with such a frosty aura reeking off him. Was this fellow by any chance related to K-High's wooden block of a captain?

"He at least shows more expressions on his face than Tezuka does, but they roughly have the same nature. It'll take time to get used to the both of them." Eiji whispered, seemingly reading Asakawa's mind.

Meanwhile, Ryoma's fangirl (or 'girlfriend?', as Tezuka wondered) was now doing a chant. "Give me an R! Give me an I! Give me an O! Give me an M! Give me an E! Give me an R! RYOMA!"

Three seconds of stunned silence passed before Kikumaru burst out laughing, while Oishi was trying to stop his partner, and failing as he was also laughing himself.

Atobe smirked. "Echizen. To think that your head fangirl can't even spell your name properly. I wonder who's Riomer? Ore-sama's cheerleaders have never gotten my name wrong."

Ryoma ignored him, stopping a passing 1st year to give some instructions.

"I'll be going then. Feel free to look around. After the selections are over Momo-senpai and I would inform the members of your presence, as I can't halt the matches now. Inui…could you do something about that Tina?" Ryoma said as he left, throwing one last glance at Tezuka before walking off.

"Ii data…" the data tennis player gave an evil snicker as he walked past. The Kanto High students wisely parted to give way to him, all knowing better than to stand in his way. Besides, they were more than happy to let Inui deal with the girl.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Inui approached the girl, who was still yelling on the top of her voice. Had it not been for Atobe's bodyguards blocking the way, the girl would most likely have charged towards Ryoma's direction like a crazed bull a long time ago.

"Excuse me, miss..." Inui called out to her.

She turned to him. Her nose wrinkled as she recognized him from yesterday. "Oh. You're that blind bat from yesterday. What do you want?"

A vein popped in Inui's head. Who was the one _really_ at fault here?

"I was just wondering. You came all the way from America, didn't you? How did you come to meet Echizen?"

The girl brightened up at the mention of Ryoma's name. "It was fate..." she breathed dreamily. "Fate brought us together, as he had gotten on the same bus as I did. He must have fallen for me at first sight, for he took the seat next to mine without hesitation, and he held my hand throughout the whole journey to the tennis courts."

Inui was busy jotting down data in his notebook, his mind processing what he had heard. 'Hmm...Echizen's crazy fangirl. I have a feeling 90 percent of what she said was made up. There is a hundred percent that what she had said was the reverse of what had happened, and there is a 70 percent that this girl sat next to Ryoma because that was the only seat left in the bus. The others must have been taken up. There is an 89 percent chance that she had recognized Echizen as _the_ tennis player who had managed to open the unopened door during the Nationals. I believe even the U.S. would have heard of him. Tennis courts...so Echizen must have been in some competitions over there during the holidays, and there is a 200 percent chance that she must have gotten off the bus with him and tagged along with him throughout the rest of the holidays. I wonder how did Echizen-kun manage to stand her?'

He turned back to the girl. "What is your name?"

"It's Tina. Teeeeeeeeeeeeeena Joou-inu." She said brightly. Inui tried to keep a straight face at the surname. Really fits her, he thought evilly. "Er...how many 'eeee's are there in Teeeeeeeeeeeeena?" Inui asked her. He wanted every single bit of his data to be accurate, all the way down to the names.

Tina frowned. "Are you stupid or what? T-I-N-A. Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeena! Got it now?"

'Impressive. At least she could spell her own name.' Inui thought.

She looked irritated. "Enough. I'm done talking with you. Don't disturb me. I must cheer for my prince."

"Ah yes. Speaking of Echizen. He wanted me to give this to you." Inui rummaged through his bag, taking out a box of cupcakes and giving one to Tina.

The girl's eyes sparkled. "My prince gave this to me? Kyaaa! He's so sweet!" she squealed with delight, causing Inui to wince.

Inui smiled. "It's peach and strawberry flavour..."

The girl hadn't waited for him to finish as she popped the whole thing into her mouth like a pig, not bothering to break it down into smaller pieces as she chewed with her mouth puffed up, making her look chubbier still. Moments later, her face turned blue.

"...with garlic, onions and just a hint of chicken droppings for added flavour." Inui finished the sentence, his glasses glinting.

The girl screamed before passing out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Oishi, Kikumaru and Asakawa had gone off Block D to watch Horio and Kachiro's match even as Inui was dealing with Tina.

Kachiro's best friend was in the second court of the same block.

"They're very good!" Asakawa said admiringly.

"I agree. They have improved so much since we last saw them. Then again, Kato-kun's father was a great player, so both Kato-kun and Mizuno-kun must have been training during the holidays. Should these two make it into the regulars, I don't doubt that they would be playing doubles." Oishi gave his opinion.

"It'll take them 30 years before they can catch up with the Golden Pair nya!" Kikumaru said confidently, casting Oishi a grin.

Just then, they heard a scream from Block A's direction. Kachiro and Katsuo shuddered visibly. "There's no way I'm drinking that!" Kachiro and Katsuo seemed to have become a different person completely, playing with such power, they could actually give both Oishi and Kikumaru a run for their money.

"Hoi?" Kikumaru looked surprised.

"I see. They play better with stress. It rather reminds me off Rokaku's captain, Aoi Kentarou. Though I don't think that would be good for their health in the long run." Oishi bit his lip as worry clouded his face.

His two friends gave a sigh. Definitely a motherhen...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fuji, Tezuka and Atobe were watching Block B, where Arai was playing against a second year with black hair and black eyes.

"What do you think, Fuji?" Tezuka asked.

Fuji looked thoughtful. "I've never seen this boy before, even though he's a sophomore. He must have just joined the tennis clubs this year. Arai was the strongest sophomore back then, so I think he's most probably going to be a regular this round."

"Hmph. He looks like someone ore-sama can beat easily. Both of them have such weak shots," Atobe smirked.

The sophomore didn't seem to be playing seriously, as he was using rather weak shots. However, Tezuka, Fuji and Atobe were no ordinary players, as their observation skills are sharper than most people. It didn't take them long to notice a pattern.

"Tezuka. You notice it too, don't you?" Atobe was the first one to speak.

"Aa." Tezuka replied.

"Arai-kun has no chance at all. He's eating all the baits." Fuji agreed.

The sophomore's shots were easy to catch, yet they were also making Arai run all over the courts. Arai was distracted by all the shots as he only thought of returning them, and he had neglected his defense. With that, the sophomore scored again and again at all of Arai's unguarded corners.

"Check." The boy said every time he won against Arai.

Fuji's eyes opened. "This pattern...it's chess!"

Atobe gave a short laugh, while Tezuka folded his arms. "Ore-sama would like to have a match with him someday." Atobe declared.

"Checkmate." Before long, the boy defeated Arai, 6 games to 0.

Beside them, Inui had launched off in an explanation about the boy. Takahiro Haruka, known as the 'Chessmaster'. A strategist player who has not lost so far in any of his games.

"Looks like you have a challenger, Fuji." Atobe stated. He wondered which was the better genius.

Fuji merely smiled in reply. "Saa… we shall see."

He turned slightly and was not surprised to catch Tezuka staring as Ryoma jogged past, heading towards Block A.

"Shall we go then, Tezuka? Echizen's match should be interesting." Fuji asked innocently.

Tezuka's expressionless stare met his. "Aa."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While Tezuka's eyes never left his boyfriend during the whole match, Inui and Fuji were striking a conversation.

"Those two really are too cute. Did you see the way the both of them are trying so hard not to stare at each other?" Fuji asked.

Inui adjusted his glasses. "Tezuka stares at an average of 5.5 seconds longer at Echizen than he does to the others. Also, his lips tend to tweak upwards about 1.5 millimetres when Ryoma looks back at him."

Fuji chuckled. "By the way you say it, makes it sound like you're obsessed with watching them yourself."

Inui frowned. "Not obsessed. Just very observant. By the way, I've checked out what you have told me and I agree with you. I don't think Toruwa Jun is fully at fault here, though I don't think he's completely innocent either. He was the one who had signed the documents implementing the new system after all. If he had wanted to, I suppose he could have rejected it."

He sighed. "I'll look into this further. Renji is already browsing through the net over this."

"Sorry to trouble you. While Atobe-san had already asked us to stay out of this, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to drop hints of what we have found out on his table. I suppose he could use some help from two of the greatest data players." Fuji said.

They looked towards the courts and saw that Ryoma had made a mistake, even though it was a shot he could have returned easily.

"Oh? So even Echizen-kun is affected by him." Inui raised his eyebrows. "Ii data…"

"Who is that?" Fuji asked curiously. Nearby, Tezuka was frowning worse than ever, looking as if he wanted to go in there and play a match against the opponent for scoring against Ryoma.

"Keita-senpai is a speedy player, isn't he? All his shots are fast and accurate, not to mention his movement speed is great too. But isn't Ryoma-buchou much better than that?" Kachiro asked Inui at that moment.

"Of course. However, Keita has this eternally optimistic character that would keep his spirits high even if he was losing by…say…5 games to 0. With him being so cheery, opponents find it hard to take him seriously, and for the ones with lower willpower, it would even kill off their morale as the game proceeds. I think your captain won't have this problem though." Inui replied Kachiro's question.

He then lowered his voice and spoke to Fuji. "Itsuki Keita, third year. He's an overly optimistic player who could give Kikumaru's positive mind a run for his money. Mainly focuses on speedy shots and returns.

As Itsuki scored another point, Inui suddenly chuckled. "Looks like Keita-kun's in trouble. Take a look at Echizen's eyes. He would not be affected by Keita's trick anymore."

The captain's golden orbs were narrowed, his attention now fully concentrated on the game. It seems that his hate of losing has finally kicked in.

Keita did not stand a chance after that, though his spirits were still up, all the way until even after the game was over and Ryoma had won 6 games to 2.

Inui adjusted his glasses. "I wonder if he should be called incredibly optimistic, extremely annoying or barking mad…" he muttered. Fuji merely chuckled in reply at that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While Yamato and Kira had gone to Block C to see Kaidou's match, the rest were now gathered at Block B to see the battle between vice-captain Momoshiro and the Chessmaster Takahiro. Ryoma was referee for the match.

"Deuce!" he announced for the umpteenth time.

"Momo! Ganbatte!" Kikumaru yelled. Kikumaru, Oishi and Asakawa were standing on the opposite side of where Tezuka and the rest were standing.

"Oh? Horio is awake?" Inui sounded amused as he saw the boy wobble over to Kachiro and Katsuo. The sophomore had to drink his new Inui hyper-inky juice after he had lost three times in the selections. Not too long later, Tomoka and Sakuno joined the three boys, having finished their selections, apparently.

Osakada Tomoka was like another Tina…no, maybe a milder version than that crazy woman, but just as fanatic over Echizen. Inui couldn't help chuckling as he pictured what Tezuka's reaction might be if he only knew just how big the bishonen Seigaku captain's fanbase was in school. Tina and Tomoka would be the least of his problems then.

While Inui had to entertain the three little pigs and the two girls, Tezuka, Fuji and Atobe watched the match quietly.

"Hmm…your dunk smash player sure is enthusiastic. Ore-sama wonder if he had gotten any stronger this year." Atobe smirked. Last year, Momoshiro had lost to Oshitari in the Nationals, and Atobe had always reminded the Seigakurians about this every time Momo's name was brought up.

"You'll see, Atobe." Tezuka replied quietly. Momoshiro was putting up a fight against Takahiro, considering that he had gained a lot of experience during his time as a regular.

Takahiro suddenly said something to the vice-captain, causing Momoshiro to fumble and lose a point. In retaliation, Momoshiro used his dunk smash in the next round, though Takahiro countered with what looked like…

"Higuma Otoshi?" Atobe sounded surprised.

Fuji's eyes opened slightly. "No. It's not the Brown Bear Falling. I had used this skill before, when I was still training my triple counters. This is a weaker, unperfected version of Higuma Otoshi."

"Oh? So you've come across this skill before eh? Did you give it another one of those names?" Atobe smirked.

Fuji gave a serene smile to that. "Of course. Brown Bear Cub Falling. Two days later I perfected it to Higuma Otoshi though."

They watched as Momoshiro returned it with another dunk smash, and it eventually became a repetitive battle between the two. As Momoshiro leapt up to the another dunk smash, to all their surprise, Takahiro hit a counter that caused the ball to go under Momoshiro's feet, thus winning the game 7 games to 5.

"He's good, that guy. To defeat one of the ex-regulars like that." Fuji chuckled. Beside all of them, Inui was explaining to a bewildered bunch of sophomores about what had happened.

"Hmph. So Momoshiro is weak against geniuses eh?" Atobe gloated. Tezuka silenced him with a glare.

"Hoi! Hoi! Where had this guy been hiding all these times? Why have we not seen him last year?" Kikumaru asked.

"A pity he did not show himself while we were still in the club. Both he and Echizen could battle for the position of a regular." Oishi chuckled.

"Let's go. The selections are over already." Tezuka said, leading them to Court A.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright members. Get in line please." Momoshiro called out.

Both Echizen and Momoshiro stood before all the members. Inui stood beside them.

"Alright. The selections have been done. We will now announce our regular members. For all those whose names are called, please step to the front." Inui said.

He began reading from the list in his hands. "The ones who qualify as a regular are…sophomore-Echizen Ryoma, third-year-Momoshiro Takeshi, third year-Kaidou Kaoru, third-year-Tsun Minori, third year-Itsuki Keita, sophomore-Kato Kachiro, sophomore-Mizuno Katsuo, sophomore-Takahiro Haruka."

One by one, the new regulars came to form a line before their captain and vice-captain, while the former Seigakurians looked on with pride. "Hoi? One is not coming to the front." Kikumaru suddenly stated.

"Takahiro-kun. If you would come forward please." Inui called again.

Takahiro raised a hand from where he stood.

"Please give my position to someone else. I'm leaving the club." He stated, walking off to the exit and ignoring the glares of the K-High members standing there.

Inui looked shocked, as did everyone else, except Ryoma, who was still calm.

"Why would you do that, Takahiro-kun. You won the position fair and square."

The boy paused halfway to the door. He turned around slightly. "Tennis is…boring. I joined the club after seeing how well Seigaku performed last year. However, everything is just too predictable. There is no challenge at all."

Tezuka tried not to smile as he recalled that Ryoma had this kind of attitude as well last year. Ryoma threw him a glance, and he stared back. "_Just do what you would do best, Ryoma._"

Ryoma seemed to have gotten the message, as the next moment he had used his split step to overtake Takahiro, blocking his path.

"Ne. The regulars' positions of this club are really valuable, you know. If you treat it that lightly, you'll have to serve a penalty." Ryoma said.

"I've already said I'm leaving. I have nothing to do with this club anymore." Takahiro gave his retort.

"Oh? I don't recall receiving your resignation letter." Ryoma smirked.

Tezuka's lips twitched slightly at that. Ryoma could be quite sarcastic if he wanted to. He folded his arms as Ryoma challenged the other boy to a match, which the boy reluctantly accepted.

The game between the two started before long. By the looks of it, Ryoma seems to be losing 2-0. To Seigaku's former regulars, as well as to Atobe, who had fought against Ryoma before, they knew that the captain wasn't playing seriously.

For Ryoma was playing with his _right_ hand throughout the game.

"Ochibi! You must not lose!" Kikumaru yelled.

"To think that I would be getting so much data at once, though all the data I'm getting are Takahiro-kun's. Echizen is not playing seriously at all." Inui was laughing evilly as he updated his notebook.

"Echizen is just being himself. He tends to not fight seriously in the start as he observes his opponent, then he would come up with a way to beat his rival." Oishi agreed to Inui's statement.

"Aa." Tezuka's voice had just a hint of pride in them, while Fuji chuckled.

It seemed that the observant Chessmaster had noticed this too. "You're much better than this. By the way you hold your racket, that's not your playing arm!" he said, looking rather irritated.

"You're right. About time I played seriously." Ryoma switched his racket to his left hand.

The pace of the game changed immediately as Ryoma quickly evened the scores.

"Ne…your shots are getting inaccurate. Are you really that agitated?" Ryoma taunted.

Takahiro pinpointed all of the corners accurately, and the senior high students who were watching the game could see his increasing frustration as Ryoma was able to return every shot.

"Poor guy. I don't think he plays with single split-step players often." Fuji commented.

Before long, the game count was now 5 games to 4.

"He's quite good, to score 4 games against Echizen." Atobe frowned.

"Echizen's not playing seriously yet." Tezuka said quietly.

"Our dear Echizen had better be careful. Chess can sometimes be a prolonged game. As the match draws longer, Takahiro would become more focused, and his mind would be sharper. On the other hand, his opponent would have already been worn out." Inui suddenly said as he referred to his notes on Takahiro.

"Hmph. Echizen would not wear out easily in his matches. Only in his match against ore-sama would he be worn out."

Takahiro fumbled and accidentally hit a high ball. "Chance!" Momoshiro yelled.

'_It's a trap!_' Tezuka thought.

Luckily, Ryoma knew that too as he returned the shot, not bothering to hit a smash.

"Hey. Use your main chess pieces. I have no interest in fighting pawns." Ryoma ordered, sounding bored.

"Very well then." Takahiro now played seriously. "Interesting. He's as strong as Taka-san." Fuji smiled.

The next skill caused all of their jaws to drop, for Takahiro lowered his racket in a style that was almost similar to Tezuka's zero shiki and hit a drop shot. The ball flew towards the net, rolled over to the opponent's side and proceeded to roll _down_ the net before coming to a halt when it hit the ground. Ryoma's eyes widened as he looked impressed.

"So he had moved his king huh? That shows that Ryoma is a very powerful opponent indeed. This skill would have stumped even you, Tezuka." Fuji turned slightly to see the K-High captain's reaction, and was not surprised to see him still as expressionless as ever, if not for the slightly widened eyes indicating that Tezuka was secretly impressed by the skill as well.

"With skills like these, he could be considered a genius like you." Oishi commented.

Ryoma scored another game, bringing the scores to 6-5. Takahiro had once more used that skill of his. "Check." He smirked.

The ball hit the net, and bounced, heading in Ryoma's direction. Ryoma then used a perfect Returning Swallow.

"Checkmate." Ryoma gloated, throwing the chessmaster's phrase back at him.

"Eh?! Ochibi had used your skill, Fuji." Kikumaru frowned.

Fuji chuckled. "I don't really mind. I've already switched to using my quadruple counters, remember? He can adopt my old triple counters. Besides, my skills are not the only one he had been using." He threw a knowing look at Tezuka.

The K-High captain nodded. "He's been using the Tezuka Zone for the past match. That chessmaster boy had not realized that Echizen had been staying on the same spot all that time."

"Game and match, won by, Echizen. 7 games to 5." Inui announced.

Ryoma adjusted his cap. "Mada mada dane. Takahiro-kun. You lost."

As Ryoma walked away, Takahiro spoke up. . "Looks like there is a possibility that tennis might be interesting after all. Very well. I will stay in the club until I come up with a strategy to beat you, Echizen-buchou."

A chill ran through the former Seigaku regulars at those words. "This atmosphere...it kind of feels like..." Kikumaru and Oishi threw a look at both Inui and Tezuka.

"Hmm?" Inui gave a questioning look, while Tezuka gave a stern stare in return.

"It...it's nothing." Kikumaru laughed weakly. Fuji had begun to chuckle, while Atobe and the rest looked confused.

"Care to explain?" Atobe asked crossly.

Oishi sighed. "Come with me, you four. I will tell you about the famous rivalry between our old captain Tezuka and the data tennis player Inui..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Before long, all of the club members were assembled once more, and after Ryoma had given his speech, Momoshiro introduced the Kanto High regulars.

Cheers rang out as the juniors recognized Tezuka, Fuji, Kikumaru and Oishi immediately, while they applauded politely for the ones they did not recognize- Asakawa, Yamato and Kira. Moments later, all eyes fell onto Kanto High's vice captain, and gasps could be heard.

"A-A-Atobe?! What is he doing in the same school as senpai and the rest?..."

Atobe smirked. Oh yes, his fame had traveled far and wide, that even the Seigaku first and second years have heard of him. Be awed by his magnificent presence...

"...And he's vice-captain? I thought he'd be captain." The boy continued on. Atobe's ego deflated with a loud 'pop'.

Atobe twitched. "Ore-sama have been very generous to let Tezuka take that position instead. Also, am I not free to go to any school I want? With all my wealth, I can even buy Kanto High for my personal use."

"Atobe…" Tezuka frowned.

He could feel someone staring and turned towards the source. Ryoma was giving him a meaningful look, and his hands were making signs that only he would understand—"Let's go for a date later."

Tezuka in turn gave the tiniest nod in reply. Ryoma grinned slightly, pulled his cap lower and turned to face his members again.

"That's the end for today's selections. You're all dismissed." he announced.

The Seigaku members thanked Echizen, Momoshiro and Inui before all of them dispersed. Most of them went to have a chat with the K-High regulars, while the others eagerly headed for home.

Tezuka waited for Ryoma, who was heading his direction. Suddenly, he felt someone else's presence near him and almost jumped.

Takahiro, the chessmaster had leaned towards his side slightly. "I never knew that our captain was gay. Oh well. You two do make a cute couple." With that, he walked off, leaving a now red-faced Tezuka.

"What was it the both of you were talking about?" Ryoma asked once he had reached Tezuka's side. There was a sharp look in the boy's eyes.

Tezuka winced. "Nothing important. That guy just used his observation skills to point out something. He really is too sharp. You did well in your match with him."

Ryoma seemed to have calmed down a little at that. He lowered his voice. "Ne…buchou. The usual place later right?"

"Aa." Tezuka could feel the birds singing and the sun shining brightly at that moment, even though it was already past noon.

Not too long later, Momoshiro gave a yelp. "I've gotta run now! Ann-chan is waiting for me! See you all tomorrow." He fled, with one hand still grooming himself.

"Shall we go too, Kunimitsu?" Ryoma asked softly.

Before either of them could step out of the courts, Ryoma's head fangirl had held the poor Seigaku captain hostage.

"Ryoma-sama! Let's walk home together!" Tomoka said cheerfully.

Ryoma shook his head. "Not today. I have an appointment with someone."

Tina then popped up and seized Ryoma's free arm. "That's right! He already agreed to go out on a date with me. Back off, (beep)!"

Tezuka stifled an inward groan. Why did the girl even bother waking up? He would appreciate it if she had stayed unconscious.

Meanwhile, the two fangirls were having a catfight, exchanging words that were highly unladylike. Tezuka twitched at seeing his Ryoma being touched by these two crazy girls. As the prodigy looked like he was going to be torn apart, he intervened.

"Echizen-kun had made an appointment with me. Now if you'd excuse us." Tezuka was glad that his voice had been steady, for in actual fact, he was close to exploding.

Tina shook her head stubbornly and tightened her hold over Ryoma's arm. Ryoma turned slightly blue at feeling her boobs squashed against his arm.

"I don't want to be separated from my prince. If he's going with you, I'll follow along then." Tina insisted.

"I'll follow too." Tomoka added quickly.

Tezuka's glasses flashed. He had the sudden urge to draw out his racket and whack them both away. Ryoma looked like he wasn't enjoying being in this tug-of-war. Then again, why wasn't the golden eyed prodigy pushing them away?

"Buchou. I'm afraid I'd have to postpone our appointment." Ryoma spoke up suddenly. Tezuka's eyes widened, not expecting that to come from Ryoma.

Ryoma threw him what looked like yet another guilty look. Tezuka could feel his blood boil as his mask hardened. Very well, if Ryoma would rather go off with _them_...

"I understand." Tezuka's voice came out emotionless. He thought he saw Ryoma shudder.

Ryoma looked like he was about to say something, but Tina and Tomoka had already dragged him away, renewing their catfight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Not too far away from the two, Fuji and Inui were watching the drama unfold with interest.

"Inui. What do you think of those two?" Fuji asked, watching a now depressed Tezuka.

Inui was making some calculations on a sheet of paper from his notebook. "I've been doing some calculations, and I don't find the results pleasant." He showed the paper to Fuji.

The tensai read it. "95 percent their relationship would not survive the week...90 percent Tezuka did not understand what was going on in Ryoma's mind...100 percent Ryoma loves Tezuka, but doesn't know how to express it...100 percent Tina and Tomoka are going to cause trouble for these two..." Fuji didn't want to read any further. The statistics were getting more and more depressing as the list went on.

"Considering you're the data expert, I do not doubt that everything mentioned in that book of yours might come true. I can only hope that nothing worse would happen to the both of them." Fuji frowned.

Inui adjusted his glasses. "Well, my data has been wrong before. Let's hope that this would be one of those times."

"Hope so. I understand what Ryoma might have been thinking, by going off with those two. He probably didn't want the both of them to be a burden to Tezuka. Something tells me he has a hunch about our condition in Kanto High, and would most likely know the stress Tezuka has to handle. As club captain, Tezuka has to juggle to catch up with the school's extremely high standards, as well as to keep the club alive."

Inui chuckled. "For someone with such a nature of apathy, he's surprisingly understanding when it comes to Tezuka. Oh well, let's see what we can do to help this idiotic couple."

"Saa..."

To be continued...

A/N: This has got to be by far the most 'cut and paste' chapters ever...memo to self...I'm not going to write another chapter with scenes that overlap so much. A thousand apologies to all reviewers.

After rereading this chapter, I was highly tempted to delete it, but ah well, I still need it to proceed to chapter 8. Please bear with the repetitive conversations and scenes... (gloomy)

As mentioned in the A/N of the other fic, note that not all my chapters are bright and cheery. There would be angst in some chapters, and major angst in one of the later chapters. Don't worry too much though. I suck at writing angst, to the point that my angsty stories end up comical. 

Oh well, **please read and review**.

**-Gwyn**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. I only own my original characters.**

**Warning: Contains spoilers for latest manga chapters. Mild angst in this chapter. Shonen-ai fic**

**Parings: Tezuka X Echizen, Sanada X Yukimura, Momoshiro X Ann. Hints of OC X OC**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 6 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: Same as what I've said in Echizen, Our Buchou. Tina would serve her purpose in this chappie, though I think most of you would already know what it is, considering you'd most likely read that fic first.

**Thank you all for your reviews**.

So sorry for the late update. Was in rather low spirits, as mentioned in the other fic, and I was having trouble trying to write this fic, even though the other one was completed quite a while ago. I dread the day the holidays come to an end and I'd have to go back for my next semester. Would most likely be updating only once a month or something… (gloom)

By the way, I was highly amused by what one of the reviewers had mentioned. It really helped to lighten my mood. '**a'**, in case you haven't noticed, this is a _shonen-ai_ fanfiction, so of course I made Tezuka and Echizen look gay. They **are** gay in this story. Check out the pairings for every chapter. XD

Won't talk too much. To the story then...

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 8

The regulars of Kanto High were now busy preparing themselves for the incoming inter-school games, which was less than two weeks away. The junior high and senior high competitions were at different dates, with the senior high's games being a few days earlier than the junior high games.

Fuji had recovered from the incident involving the three seniors, and tennis practices had resumed again, much to Kikumaru and Asakawa's delight.

Asakawa had improved drastically, as he trained diligently on the ball machines. Though under the captain and vice-captain's ever observant eyes, it was impossible to not improve. Tezuka had already fed him with who-knows-how-many boxes of Volcanic Wasabi Sushi, while Atobe's personal trainers were wielding very nasty stun guns.

Before long, Asakawa had graduated from ball-machine training and was now training alongside Fuji, as they were doubles partners. Tezuka had made that decision some time before the Seigaku selections, as he felt that Asakawa was still very inexperienced in tennis, and Fuji would be a perfect guide for him, for Fuji was adept at both singles and doubles.

"Hoi hoi! Let the doubles experts teach you nya." Kikumaru chirped. Atobe had instructed for the Golden Pair to tutor the other two, a task which, of course, was gladly accepted by both parties.

"I wonder if it's possible for me to reach all of your levels..." Asakawa laughed weakly.

Kikumaru patted him on the back. "Don't worry! You're a speedy player, so you should keep your focus on offensive. We'll be here to guide you, so don't think too much about it nya!"

"I...guess you're right..." Asakawa gave a sheepish grin.

Oishi nodded. "With you playing offensive and Fuji being a counter-attacker, you would make a very powerful combination. Trust in your strength." The former vice-captain of Seigaku gave the redhead thumbs-up.

Not too far away from them, Tezuka and Atobe were speaking to Ayaka-sensei, who had decided to come and watch over their training, as she was their teacher advisor after all.

"Now then. We had better prepare ourselves for the competition, and after that you would all have to sit for your February exams. We'll show them the true spirit of the Kanto High tennis club!" Ayaka told them.

Fuji smiled. "Don't worry about it, sensei. We have K-High's pillar of strength here. There is no one else who can match his spirit." He nodded approvingly at Tezuka.

"Saa...yudan sezu ni ikkou! Back to your practices. We don't have time to lose." Tezuka said.

"Hoi hoi! Let's go! We'll show that baka headmaster about the true worth of tennis." Kikumaru cheered.

Ayaka twitched at that. "Please don't hold a grudge against the headmaster. He's not the one at fault." She muttered softly.

"Aa." Tezuka replied, causing the teacher to blink at him.

Asakawa frowned. "I will not forgive that headmaster for implementing that stupid system. Thanks to him, my brother had to transfer to another school."

Ayaka looked crestfallen as practice resumed on. Fuji and Tezuka exchanged looks. They wondered if it was a good idea to tell the teacher that they already know about the real situation at this school.

Apparently Atobe had beaten them to it.

"Ne, sensei. Some of us already know that the school system is currently manipulated by my aunt, the assistant headmistress." He stated.

Ayaka's eyes went wide. "How...?"

Fuji looked slightly guilty. "I...overheard your conversation with the headmaster..."

Ayaka gave a weak smile. "I see..."

Asakawa was now playing against Kikumaru, seeing that Fuji wasn't about to join them yet. "Fuji. Would you like to play doubles with us?" Oishi asked.

"Later." Fuji called back, turning once more to the teacher.

"Sensei...could you please tell us about the grudge Headmaster Toruwa has against Kanto High?" Atobe asked politely. While Atobe was always acting high and mighty against literally anyone, he would humble himself when he spoke to those he hold in high regard. His parents and Ayaka-sensei were among those who fall under this category. One will never catch him saying "ore-sama" when he spoke to these three.

Ayaka stared down at her hands. "Very well...where should I begin..." she pondered a while to collect her thoughts.

"Toruwa Jun was a third year in Kanto High when I enrolled into that school. He was, how should I say this...the absolute model student. Son of the headmaster, with perfect grades, perfect upbringing and a very friendly nature, many of the students admired him."

She smiled a little at the memory. "However, his greatest talent was in basketball. As he was the most skillful player during his year, he easily made it into the regulars for every competition. He was to the basketball team as Tezuka-kun and Atobe-kun are to the tennis club now."

She gave a sigh as she continued on. "However, this did not last for long. While he had admirers, he also had enemies, as many were jealous of him for his grades and basketball skills. Just before the state competitions, some students ganged up on him and beat him up so badly that he had to be hospitalized. Of course, for the first time he had lost the position of a regular. That was not the worst of it though..."

She looked up at them, her eyes grave. "The worst was...that he could never play basketball ever again. He suffered a serious injury to his knee joint, and ever if he recovered, the old injury would remain there. It was a huge blow to him, of course, to never play his favourite sport again. He was devastated when the doctors broke that news to him. His father had expelled those students, of course, but to protect the school's reputation, he had hushed up about this incident, so no one would know about it. Needless to say, because of this, it created friction between Toruwa and his father. Toruwa then left the school, swearing never to return to it. Mind, the fight had been so serious that most of the students had heard about it, considering Toruwa and his father were yelling at each other before Toruwa stormed out of the school gates."

"I can understand his feelings. He's just like me. Rich, popular, smart… Oh, it's a no wonder those peasants were jealous." Atobe began glorifying himself. Tezuka sighed at the narcissist's words. Beside him, Fuji merely chuckled.

"When he first returned to this school shortly after his father passed away and had left the position of headmaster to him, he was severely discontented, and threw the responsibility of the school affairs to his assistant headmistress. This school reminded him of his destroyed dreams, and he really had never wanted to return in the first place. Of course, Assistant Headmistress Kitsune took this to her advantage, and by the time Toruwa knew of what she had implemented, it was nearly impossible to stop her, for the whole board of directors had already lost their sense of respect for him…among other reasons. He no longer had any allies, be it the board of directors, or even the student council."

She gave a weak smile at seeing the grave faces of her three students. "Oh well. I'm done with that story. The three of you don't have to make that kind of faces. You do not need to worry yourself about this, for it has nothing to do with all of you. Toruwa has changed slightly now, at least, and he's trying his best to see to it that the L classes do not suffer more than they already have. I'm grateful that at least you had brought some of his senses back to him, Tezuka-kun."

She did not speak on. They knew what she had meant, for Fuji had already mentioned to them before that Toruwa was moved by Tezuka's determination to bring the regulars' system into the tennis club, and had played against their senior even though he was in an injured condition.

Atobe frowned. While he would love to pile all his resources and have that crazy aunt of his kicked out of the school, he could not. The Atobe family creed did not allow it…

She got up from where she was seated. "Please. Just forget about what I've said. Don't let it burden your minds. Come on now, the competitions are just around the corner."

"Ayaka-sensei…you like the headmaster, don't you?" Fuji suddenly asked.

There was an immediate change on the teacher's face, as she turned beet red.

"M-me? Like him??? You've got to be joking." She tried to laugh it off. Fuji grinned, as he knew he had hit the jackpot. The way she was saying it would be like Tezuka saying he hated Ryoma or something.

There was a beep. "Tezuka. I think that's your phone. Ore-sama have a classier ringtone." Atobe pointed out before leaving to have a match against Kira.

Tezuka fished his phone out of his pocket, and brightened up when he saw Ryoma's name on it. Nearby, Fuji chuckled as he observed Tezuka's reaction.

"Ryoma." He said, having trouble hiding his feelings from his voice.

There was a short pause at the other end, and Tezuka frowned slightly. That was unusual.

"Kunimitsu...I'm afraid I can't make it today too." Ryoma sounded glum.

Tezuka's frustration rose. They had not gone on a _single_ date ever since the Seigaku selections. He tried to calm himself down, convincing himself that Ryoma probably was busy with his club's preparations for the inter-school competitions as well. The Seigaku captain must have a good reason to call off their date. Still, he failed to keep the resentment out of his voice when he gave his reply.

"I see…"

"I'll try to make it up to you…" he had not spoken much when a girl's voice said shrilly on the other end. A girl whom Tezuka really hated now…

"Mou, Ryoma! How long are you going to keep me waiting? Let's go home together." Tina sounded like she was flirting with Ryoma.

"I have to leave now. Bye." Ryoma said quickly, and the next moment there was only a dial tone at the other end, as Ryoma has ended the call so fast.

Tezuka was still frozen on the spot, his hand still holding the phone to his ear as if hoping that Ryoma would suddenly pop back on with a "Just kidding!" or something like that. After several moments, he put down the phone.

He was trying hard to maintain his mask as he began to shake slightly with rage. So _that_ was why Ryoma cancelled their date?! In fact, the other boy had seemed so _eager_!

Fuji too was frowning at seeing Tezuka's face change from a happy one to a murderous one. He walked a distance away and dialed Inui's number.

"Inui. What is going on at your side? Tezuka is really in a bad mood now."

"_I don't blame him. That Momoshiro is matchmaking. I don't think he knows about how serious his actions are._" Inui replied.

Fuji looked thoughtful. Knowing Momoshiro, that guy had probably not meant any harm, and thought that he was doing the right thing, as Momoshiro would most likely ask Echizen to get a girlfriend with whenever the Seigaku captain had the chance. He couldn't really blame Momoshiro, as Echizen was so terrible at expressing himself, he was probably giving off all the wrong impressions to the dunk smash player.

"_I'll deal with that baka vice-captain now. Keep an eye on Tezuka-buchou._"

"I will." Fuji ended the call. Tezuka was now playing against Yamato, and Fuji was mildly impressed that the captain can still keep his mask intact, with all that frustration he must be feeling inside. He dearly hoped that nothing worse would come up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Minna. You sure look like you're in high spirits." Kawamura smiled at his friends, who were his shop's most regular customers.

"Of course! It's almost time for the inter-schools. I can't wait nya…I wonder who we're fighting. Hope I can have a match with that purple haired, china doll hair styled kangaroo."

"Eiji." Oishi scolded, though he was laughing. It seemed that Hyotei's former acrobatic player would have that nickname stuck to him from now onwards.

Inui flipped through his notebook. "I believe we would not be meeting a lot of our former rivals. As you know, most schools only allow second years and third years to become regulars. Only a few schools have made exceptions for first years who were formerly regulars. My school is one of them. As for Kanto High, you all have so many first years as you do not really have a choice."

"That's true." Fuji said.

Inui closed his notebook and adjusted his glasses. "A pity Rikkai Dai and Kanto High would not be in the same inter-school competitions. Hope all of you would be able to make it into the district games. With any luck, we would be fighting against each other."

"Of course we would make it. Don't expect us to go easy on you, Inui." Kikumaru gave a grin.

Not too long later, Kawamura's dad came out of the kitchen area with their requested sushi.

"Takeshi. Serve these to your pals. They must be starving." Kawamura's dad said heartily.

Both Eiji and Asakawa began to salivate. "Sankyou, Kawamura-papa!" Eiji immediately lunged for his prize.

"Those two really are gluttons…" Oishi sighed, watching them gobble the food so fast they had nearly swallowed the eating utensils as well.

The door slid open, and both Kaidou and Momoshiro had walked in.

"So sorry I'm late. It's all this baka Mamushi's fault here. He was taking such a long time to keep the equipment."

"You could have just left first, and leave those keys to the clubroom to me." Kaidou retorted.

Momoshiro made a face. "Give you these keys? You would lose them in three minutes!"

"Maa..maa…don't begin a fight here." Fuji said. Both Momoshiro and Kaidou looked like they were about to boil each other for dinner.

"Both of you. Sit down and eat quietly." Tezuka ordered.

"Hai!" they sat down hurriedly. Moments later they blinked, remembering that Tezuka wasn't their captain anymore.

Inui chuckled. "Looks like these two are still afraid of our former captain. Ii data…" he ignored Tezuka's trademark glare. Momoshiro and Kaidou were looking embarrassed.

"By the way, do you know that Echizen had a girlfriend?" Momoshiro suddenly began.

Tezuka stiffened, but Eiji on the other had looked highly interested. "Ochibi does? Who?"

"Remember that girl you saw during the selections? Echizen's going out with her now."

"Hoi! So even ochibi can have a girlfriend? I'm surprised!" Eiji laughed.

"Echizen…would be that green-haired Seigaku captain right?' Asakawa asked. He could not picture that boy dating. He was such an anti-social after all.

"That's him. He's so lucky nya. I thought he might be eternally single at the rate he was going. Right, Oishi?" Kikumaru chirped.

"E-eh…" Oishi agreed reluctantly.

Kawamura gave a weak smile. "I'm sure there must be some mistake…" he began, casting a glance in Tezuka's direction.

"You're definitely mistaken indeed." Fuji said, pinning Momoshiro with an icy blue stare.

"Nope. I'm quite sure about it. The whole school already knows about them." Momoshiro said.

Kaidou gave a hiss. "They're talking about Echizen and his girlfriend so often that it's making me sick."

"Aw, mamushi. You jealous cause you don't have a girlfriend?" Momoshiro smirked.

"What did you say, baka Momoshiro?"

There was a thunk as Inui set a jug of his latest invention, Inui's hyper remix juice, version 10.8 on the table.

"Kawamura. Please serve this to the next person who talks about Echizen dating again."

"Aa…" Kawamura obeyed.

Momoshiro frowned. "I still don't understand what you have against our captain's happiness. He's already gone off with her today."

There was a loud clatter as Tezuka stood up so fast he had knocked his chair over, making all of them jump.

Without a word, the K-High captain left the place.

"Tezuka-buchou! You haven't paid…" Momoshiro began.

"It doesn't matter. It's my treat." Kawamura said hurriedly.

"That's not fair nya! Why is it that you're not treating the rest of us too?" Kikumaru protested.

"Eiji-senpai's right." Momoshiro agreed.

The next moment, Momoshiro was staring into both a pair of blue diamonds and glinting glasses.

"I had given you a fair warning, Momoshiro-kun. Have this, it's my treat." Inui forced his creation down the dunk smash player's throat.

Fuji smiled, though it was one that didn't reach his eyes. "Why don't you have a sushi too, while you're at it?" He stuffed one of those deadly KVWS (Kawamura's Volcanic Wasabi Sushi) down Momoshiro's throat.

The others felt a powerful shudder run through their spines as the two sadists killed off the dunk smash player.

"I wonder what has gotten into the both of them, Oishi." Kikumaru clutched on to his doubles partner's arm.

"I wonder too…" Oishi laughed weakly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Atobe strolled down the corridor, so deep in thought that for once, he did not give the royal wave to his fangirls.

"Kyaa! It's Atobe-sama!" a few girls were whispering as he passed, but he took no notice of them. These peasants were not worth his attention when he already had so much in mind.

For one, the inter-school competitions were just slightly over a week away. He was confident that they would definitely make it to the district games, with him being vice-captain, it was only natural, of course. Still, he couldn't help but worry for his weaker teammates, especially Asakawa Kantarou. That guy had the least experience in tennis, being a beginner, and he sure hoped that both he and Tezuka had drilled some skills into the poor boy during all their time training.

Also, he had to keep his grades above par. He couldn't afford any mistakes this year, as the successor of Global Industries would be decided before third-year Mafuyu graduates. He would really have to be the first amongst the freshmen, since his aunt made it impossible for him to have additional points from tennis. Although that would also mean he had to beat the scores of a certain blue-eyed tensai and a stoic captain, and he severely doubted he could do that anytime soon.

Aside from that, there were also matters of the family.

Atobe had never quite been on good terms with the Kitsunes, even from a young age. Ever since he and his cousin Mafuyu were children, they had been competing against each other for almost everything. Mafuyu was better when it came to studies, but sucked at sports. Atobe was an all-rounder, with grades that are above average, dashing good looks and with his beautiful tennis skills, he was the perfect model for the Pinnacle of Perfection…well, a different one from that Echizen's of course.

Atobe snorted. It was a no wonder his aunt had felt threatened. Oh well, she can't blame him for being the better candidate to take over his father's position. But to resort to this, to manipulate the school system in order to kill off competition from the Atobe heir, this was something he cannot let slip. He'd have to find a way to expose her dirty tactics…

He blinked as he was shaken out of his thoughts, How would he not, as the whole corridor had suddenly brightened up like a disco.

Assistant headmistress Kitsune smiled at seeing her nephew coming from the opposite direction.

"Oro? Kei-kun. Heading off for class?" she asked.

"Aa." There was no need to give such a long reply to this woman.

His aunt had a smile plastered on her face, and Atobe found himself wondering what this woman had up her sleeves.

"You'd better hurry then, or you'll be late. I wonder how do you find the L class? Isn't it too common to your liking? I hope you would change your mind soon. Those students are a nasty bunch." She stated casually.

Atobe bristled at that. "I find them to be the most pleasant bunch of peasants in this whole school. I have no intention of switching classes." Nasty bunch? His teammates were in that class, and Atobe would not tolerate any insults thrown at them.

His aunt smiled at that, though her eyes looked menacing. "I see. By the way, Kei-kun. I've heard that your club would be having some kind of competition soon."

Atobe froze. This woman would not suddenly implement a rule banning all clubs from going to competitions now, would she?

"I wish you luck. May your team emerge champion. Then again, with you leading them, I'm sure your team will. I must take my leave now. You had better run along too." With that his aunt left.

Atobe frowned. Wasn't his aunt trying to kill off all the sports activities from this school, so what was she doing _encouraging_ the tennis club?

He had a bad feeling about this.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was just one of those days when Tezuka had gotten up from the wrong side of bed, and felt that nothing could go right that day. After Ryoma had cancelled their date yesterday, he was barely able to have a good night's sleep, and woke up late that morning with low blood pressure and a splitting headache.

Needless to say, he was having terrible mood swings that day, with his patience and rationality at their lowest points.

To start off the day, his mother had somehow burnt the toast, which was rare, since she was a good cook.

Then Atobe's limousine had a flat tire, so Tezuka had to run the rest of the way to school, though he couldn't beat the bell and the prefects were more than happy to punish him for being late.

When he finally made his way to class, it turned out that lessons for class 1L were cancelled, as Ayaka-sensei had fallen ill again...

His classmates could literally see the storm clouds rolling above the K-High captain's head, complete with thunderclap effects as he walked over to his seat and dropped himself onto it.

"Oishi. Tezuka-buchou looks like he's in a bad mood today." Kikumaru whispered.

Asakawa blinked. "I thought that he's in a bad mood everyday. I've never seen him crack a smile before."

Oishi chuckled. "You're definitely not too familiar with his character yet."

Kikumaru gave a sigh. "While I'm excited over the competitions, I'm not too thrilled over the fact that our exams would be right after that. Fuji...could you let me see some of your notes?" Kikumaru pleaded.

Fuji, who was currently reading his English notes, chuckled. "I don't mind at all, Eiji. Here." He handed the book over to Kikumaru.

Less than 10 minutes later, Kikumaru had returned the book to Fuji, his eyes spinning. "I could barely understand a word in there..."

Atobe, who was busy revising his history notes, looked up momentarily. "In that case, would you like ore-sama's tutors to teach you?"

"I'll pass." Kikumaru said quickly, his mind already projecting an image of those crazy tutors in black suits.

"I see." Atobe returned to his books.

Kikumaru stretched. "I can't wait until practice later. Oishi and I will try a new formation."

"Oh? Another one?" Fuji smiled. Definitely the Golden Pair, these two.

"Of course! I'm sure we'll be meeting tougher opponents, now that it's senior high level. I would do my very best!" Kikumaru pumped a fist into the air.

"Minna. We must get into the Nationals again this year." Oishi said, and the others gave a chorus in agreement.

The only one who was still silent amongst the tennis players there was Tezuka, who was still staring at the same page of his book for the past 15 minutes, deep in his thoughts.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tezuka may put up a very serious front, but currently, he was actually feeling a sense of insecurity.

Yes, even the calm, collected Tezuka Kunimitsu could feel insecure, especially days like this, with his bad mood leaving him irrational and irritable. You can't really blame him. After all, as much as he looks like a wooden block, he's only human.

He found himself wondering just what kind of a relationship was he and Ryoma having. Whenever they went out together, it was usually to have a game of tennis, not that Tezuka disliked it, since all these dates mean a lot to him, but he found himself questioning just how much do these dates mean to Ryoma.

Considering that Ryoma was cancelling their dates so frequently, he probably had felt nothing about it.

"Irasshaimase!" Kawamura greeted as Tezuka, Fuji, Kikumaru and Oishi had stepped in again.

Kawamura threw a look at Tezuka, knowing immediately that the brunette was in a bad mood. He had a feeling he knew what was going on in the stoic captain's mind, for he hasn't seen both he and his boyfriend coming here recently.

"The usual, Taka-san." Kikumaru said, already drooling buckets.

"Hai. Just wait a while." Kawamura began preparing the food, while Kikumaru watched, salivating all the way.

"Eiji! You'll spoil the sushi." Oishi scolded.

Just then, Tezuka's phone beeped, and he looked at the message.

**From: Echizen Ryoma**

**Gomen. I have to meet Momo-senpai after school. I'll see you on Friday then, if possible.**

Tezuka had nearly crushed his phone. It was always "I'll see you on so and so day", and then Ryoma would say that he has something up, and couldn't make it that day either.

He let his mind wander as the others chatted on, his suspicions mounting as time passed. Was Echizen really out with Momoshiro, or maybe he was with that Joou-inu again...

Before he could stop his mind, he found himself questioning just why Ryoma accepted him in the first place. For one, Ryoma had not shown much affection to him before they started dating, and even after they began dating, Ryoma was still so impassive.

Secondly, he was male. Was Ryoma really attracted to his own gender? From the information he had gathered from Inui, Ryoma only seemed to be attracted to cats.

Thirdly, if Ryoma really took their relationship seriously, then why was it the boy had never rejected his dates with this Joou-inu before, and would rather cancel off the dates with his boyfriend?

Tezuka felt a headache building up as he thought of that. He was really unsure about what their relationship was like now, considering he no longer knew what Ryoma was thinking of anymore.

The door opened, and the conversation halted temporarily as Kaidou stepped in.

"Oh, you're here! Come, come. Here's an empty seat." Oishi patted the chair beside him.

Kaidou walked over and sat down. "Konbanwa..." he mumbled in greeting, looking tired.

Oishi chuckled. "Looks like you people are working hard for the inter-school games as well."

"Aa. That baka buchou was making all of us run laps around the whole school. Anyone who didn't make it back to the tennis courts in 15 minutes would be treated to the new green vinegar..." Kaidou gave a shudder, as did Kawamura and the rest.

"Oh? Is there something wrong with my Midorizu?" a voice suddenly asked behind Kaidou, causing the snake shot player to fall out of his seat in fright.

"Inui! Don't scare him like that! It's not good for his heart." Oishi immediately chided.

The data tennis player grinned. It seemed like he had brought company this round, as standing beside him was no other than his doubles partner and best friend, Yanagi Renji.

"Yo." The Rikkai Dai data player greeted.

"Oh, Yanagi-san. What brings you here? Sit down, sit down." Kikumaru said cheerfully.

Yanagi cast a curious look at Tezuka before sitting down. The K-High captain had been so deep in thought that he didn't seem to be aware of any of their presence.

"There is a 300 percent chance that the K-High captain is a bad mood." Yanagi stated.

He didn't have to, for it was obviously written all over Tezuka's face. Inui frowned. He had not gone to Seigaku today, as Kirihara-buchou had ordered for them to practice for the competitions as well. He swept his ever observant gaze around the room.

"Kaidou. Where is Momoshiro-fukubuchou?" he asked.

Kaidou snorted. "That baka Momoshiro had gone off with Echizen-buchou right after practice. Think they went for lunch."

Tezuka looked slightly more relaxed. At least that would mean Ryoma was telling the truth.

Inui, on the other hand frowned. Momoshiro would not go running off with Echizen just for lunch. He was up to something...there was a 75 percent chance that he was definitely up to something. He noticed that Fuji looked wary as well.

Tezuka's mood did not lighten up for long, as now Kikumaru was filling Yanagi up with 'good data' about Ryoma dating.

"Would you believe it? So he likes girls after all. I almost thought that he was asexual." Kikumaru said.

"Eiji! Don't gossip." The mother hen was the first to sense the change of atmosphere in the room, as Tezuka's face had darkened.

"But Oishi, it's the truth, not gossip. That Joou-inu isn't really good looking, nor do I really like her shrieks, but I suppose Ochibi's tastes are as unpredictable as his skills." Kikumaru gave a playful grin.

"So Echizen is dating a girl?" Yanagi didn't sound convinced as he cast another glance at Tezuka.

Tezuka's patience was already stretched thin that day, and his temper was extremely explosive. The conversation had gone on, and after Kikumaru had said the name 'Tina' for the third time, the captain finally exploded.

"All of you! 50 laps in tomorrow's practice!" he barked.

That shut the acrobatic player up. "Te...Tezuka-buchou?" Kikumaru gulped.

Hazel eyes flashed his direction. "I will not tolerate any of you gossiping about my successor, nor will I tolerate any excuses. 50 laps!"

Tezuka could feel his mood worsening and decided to excuse himself quickly. He had better hurry home to have a short nap. Hopefully he would wake in a better mood. As he left, he could feel everyone's eyes on him, though Yanagi and Inui were both writing in their notebooks.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tezuka walked quickly, trying to reach home as soon as possible. It wasn't fair that he was unleashing all his anger on his teammates, but today, he was just too moody to care, or to even think about it.

He thought he had heard that Joou-inu squeal and bristled. He shook his head, trying to clear off that thought. He really was getting too paranoid.

Not too long later, he heard a familiar laugh. Momoshiro's laughter.

He looked up, and the sight that greeted his eyes caused his blood to boil.

For standing right outside Puppy Love Café, the café all couples go to for romantic outings, was no other than Ryoma. At the moment, his boyfriend did not seem to have noticed him, for he was too busy kissing Joou-inu.

Tezuka felt betrayed as he was rooted to the spot, wishing that the scene before him wasn't real.

Momoshiro's girlfriend had spotted him, and Ryoma's eyes flicked to him moments later. He could see the golden orbs widen in shock.

Momoshiro had spotted him too. "Oh? Tezuka-buchou. What a coincidence! The four of us are on a double date." He stopped abruptly as he gave a yelp of pain, though Tezuka didn't take notice of that, his mind still spinning with Ryoma's betrayal.

'Ryoma had lied...' That line repeated itself in Tezuka's already irrational mind.

He hardened his mask as he threw the Seigaku captain a cold stare.

"I understand. I won't disturb the four of you then." He left. He gave up being so hopeful. That boy could do whatever he wanted. He didn't care anymore.

"Kunimitsu!" he could hear Ryoma calling out to him not too long later, but he stubbornly walked on, getting angrier as Ryoma made feeble attempts to explain himself.

"Four times..." he finally spoke up.

"What?" Ryoma actually had the nerves to be clueless, and Tezuka threw his patience to the winds.

"That was four times you've turned me down, and I find you running around with your girlfriend, and now you tell me there's nothing going on between the both of you?!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Ryoma's retort did not sound too convincing to him, as he was too angry to think clearly.

His mind replayed the images of Ryoma and Tina in a lip lock. He gave a bitter laugh. "I see. So your public display of affection was a practice for a drama competition, I suppose."

He felt so stupid. Before he knew it, all his frustrations came tumbling out of his mouth.

"I'm tired of hearing all your excuses. I'm tired of trying to convince myself that you are dating me because you might have some feelings for me, cause you have none. You have never taken _us_ seriously in the first place."

"Kunimitsu!" Once more, Ryoma had tried to call him.

He gave Ryoma a weary stare. He had enough.

"Please, just leave me alone. I wish to be alone for now, _Echizen_."

With that, Tezuka walked away, not once looking back at the other captain...

To be continued...

A/N: As I mentioned in the other fic, would not be updating the next chapter so soon, as I'll be away for the holidays. Sorry bout that.

By the way, I'm having a little trouble deciding which pair to let the K-High regulars face during the inter-school competitions. As Inui had mentioned, while you may be seeing your fav chars appearing in the other schools, not all of them would be in the regulars, and the competitions. I have to be more realistic. After all, it would be weird if the tennis teams consisted of mainly first years.

Anyway, please vote for which doubles partners to make their appearance in the competitions. Would you prefer the Silver Pair-Shishido and Choutarou, or the Dirty Pair-Oshitari and Gakuto. Don't worry. Whichever you vote for would not affect my storyline much. Votings would be open for two chapters. Would check it out after I return from the holidays.

In the meantime, please **read and review**...

-Gwyn


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters, or else I would have kidnapped both Tezuka and Echizen already.**

**Warning: Spoilers for latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fanfic. Mildly OOC Tezuka and Ryoma. Not ALL chapters are happy go lucky, as some contain angst. You have been warned.**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen. Sanada X Yukimura**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 7 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: It seems that most of you had not noticed the A/N at the end of the page, coz only three people voted. Luckily, the votes are still open, it'll be set only in the next chapter. So please vote which pair you would like to see in the inter-school competitions. The K-High regulars would be fighting against them.

Currently the votes are:

**Silver Pair** (Shishido and Choutarou) -1 vote

**Dirty Pair** (Oshitari and Gakuto) - 2 votes

Looks like Oshitari and Gakuto are leading. Please vote. This would be the last chapter before the votes are counted.

Alright then. I really am evil, bullying you people with cliffhangers. Most of you have been really nice, and I'm glad that you had kept an open mind when you've read and reviewed. T**hank you all for your reviews**. I'm glad that my fics can at least evoke such emotions from readers.

**Diana**, gomen, I couldn't resist it. Really love the Tezuka X Echizen scenes. :p .Will try to get my plot back to tennis. Afraid this chapter focuses on those two again though. The focus would be on tennis in the next chapter.

**Suicidal Duck**, about Oishi and Kikumaru, I wouldn't make them the main pairings, but since you requested for it, I'll see what I can do. Hehe. Most likely shonen-ai hints between them, if any.

**black-winged Fury**, hold your horses, don't kill Tina off yet. She would be completely gone after the major angst in the later chapters. For now, she'll be a minor character. Though, feel free to roast her anytime. XD

**OmgItsJess**, if you track me down and kill me, then how are those two going to reconcile? They'll be separated for good, no? Kekeke.

Please note that **not all chapters contain humour, as some chapters contain angst**. Would have more humour than angst though, so don't worry.

Also, no flames please. It kills my mood for writing.

To the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 9

"Hoi! Tezuka!" Atobe snapped.

Tezuka returned to reality, as he had been too busy with his thoughts.

Looking up, he could see his three opponents- Kikumaru, Oishi and Asakawa cowering from his extremely violent shots. Several balls were wedged in the mesh fences.

Atobe massaged his head. What on earth? Tezuka had been like this for a couple of days already, playing as if everyone and everything in the world had offended him. Back when he was a captain in Hyotei, he didn't have to worry so much for his tennis club. Also back then, he didn't even have a vice-captain, so why was this baka captain giving him so much trouble? Gah! He felt like tearing his hair out, but that would not do well for his extremely good looks.

"Tezuka! Reserve that strength of yours for the competitions. It wouldn't do well with you killing everyone off like that." Atobe snapped as Tezuka seemed to have gone into rage mode again, not showing any mercy to his opponents.

In actual fact, Tezuka was no longer raging. All those pent up anger had been vented on poor Ryoma just days ago. Now, his anger had been replaced by an incredible amount of guilt, and this was the K-High captain's way of covering it up.

"Tezuka-kun." Yamato chided. While he, Kira and Fuji were not practicing against Tezuka, they could see all the action as they were in the next court.

Tezuka gave an irritable sigh. He really was in no mood for tennis today after all.

"Enough. You're all dismissed for today." He ordered.

All of the club members gaped at him. "But...buchou...we've only had practice for an hour." One of the non-regular members protested.

Atobe decided it was about time he stepped in. "Tezuka. You may be captain, but as vice-captain, ore-sama have a say in this too, and ore-sama commands that practice will go on. This is my mansion after all."

Tezuka gave him a stare that said clearly he was not pleased.

"Do what you want then." He left the courts.

Atobe really wanted to rip his hair off. He was already having so much to worry about, with the competitions, the exams and his aunt. One of the last things he needed now was a crazy captain in his team.

The others resumed practice half-heartedly, all worried for the usually stoic captain. In the end, even Atobe had to call off practice early at seeing that there was no point continuing on, at the rate they were all going.

"We'll resume this tomorrow. Let's hope that Tezuka would be in a better mood. Ore-sama would not tolerate anyone who might bring this team down."

As everyone dispersed, Atobe went into his mansion. He needed a nice, cold drink.

Meanwhile, Fuji was not smiling at all for the whole day. He had a feeling he knew what was the cause of Tezuka's moodiness. His hand phone rang, and hurriedly he fished it out of his bag.

"_Fuji. It's me._" Inui's voice could be heard over the other end.

Fuji sighed. "If you're calling, I can safely guess that Echizen is acting funny at your end as well."

"_Aa. That guy was playing as if he had lost his soul. I never thought I would live to see the day Echizen plays like a slug._"

"At our side, Tezuka's playing like a monster. He's drilling holes into the fence and the ground." Fuji informed.

There was a short pause at Inui's end. "_So Echizen goes to zombie mode when he's in a slump, while Tezuka activates monster mode? Ii data_."

"Such a headache...What do you think we should do, Inui?" Fuji asked.

There was a snap, probably Inui closing his notebook.

"_Those two would never speak to each other at this rate, knowing both their characters. They would both be waiting for the other to speak up first. Gah! How did we end up being babysitters for such a wooden couple in the first place anyway?"_

"I thought it was voluntary. Besides, it should be interesting to see how the both of them turn out." Fuji stated.

"_At this rate there would not be anything to see, especially if they break up. We would have to do something about them. It would not reflect well on me if Seigaku loses, since I'm the trainer. I doubt that Atobe would let you people live it down if K-High loses too, ne? I would love to meet you people in the Nationals, so don't you all dare lose just yet. Fuji, I'll deal with Echizen. See what you can do for Tezuka."_

Fuji snorted. "Why am I getting the more difficult end of the deal?"

"_Cause you're the nearest to him. I can't very well start running off to K-High and begin lecturing Tezuka._"

Fuji sighed. "Ah well. I'll see what I can do."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tezuka had tried to keep his mind occupied by finishing all his homework, reading up chapters Ayaka-sensei had not taught yet, and even tried to decide the order of the players for the inter-school games.

Still, nothing worked as his mind kept drifting back to his last encounter with Ryoma. Eventually, he gave up and let his guilt take over.

"_I wish to be alone for now, Echizen..."_

He had said those parting words to the younger boy, who seemed have taken it to heart, as after that day, Ryoma had not called, e-mailed or even text messaged him.

Tezuka sighed. Technically, they were still a couple, as neither of them had formally called off their relationship yet. Still, he doubted that Ryoma would speak to him again, after how he had hurt the Seigaku captain that day.

He stared at his phone.

**You have no new messages**

Ah well. That was to be expected.

Tezuka set his phone down on the table and decided to tackle his history notes when a loud beep made him snatch the phone up again.

**You have 1 new message(s)**

Hurriedly, Tezuka unlocked his keypad and opened the message.

**From: Oishi Syuichirou**

**Tezuka. We're all really worried by your performance these two days. This isn't like your usual self at all. Please know that if there is something troubling your mind, I'm always ready to listen. After all, what are best friends for?**

Tezuka sighed. While he was grateful that Oishi was worried for him (as usual), he couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed that the message wasn't from someone else, namely a golden eyed captain.

Tezuka leaned back against his chair. He really wasn't being fair to anyone. Not to Ryoma, or even to his teammates. He appreciated how Atobe was now trying his best to manage the club with him acting like this.

He had been thinking too selfishly about his own problems, and had forgotten his responsibilities as captain. Oishi's message was a wake-up call to him.

With that, he decided to push everything to the back of his mind. The inter-school games had to come first now. He'll deal with his problems later. There was no way he would let his personal feelings trouble his team members.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

::Intermission::

The regulars of Rikkai Dai had been busy as well, with their inter-school games around the corner. All of the regulars were asked to double the amount of usual training they had. Currently, Kirihara-buchou was going around looking at everyone's performance.

Vice-captain Sano Iruga was engaged in a match with the two sophomores Hiro Kaminari and Taki Isu, who were both playing with him with Taki's left foot tied to Hiro's right.

The both of them lost their balance yet again, and Sano sighed as they got their feet tangled trying to retrieve one of his shots.

"We'll have to try that formation again. It's a good thing we're in the inter-school competitions now. We still have time, as the Nationals would be quite some time away.

"That would not be a wise thing to say, Sano. We would be facing many difficult opponents. Just one mistake and we may lose the chance to even reach the Nationals.

"Aa. So sorry bout that, Kirihara." Sano apologized.

Kirihara shook his head. "No offense taken. By the way, where is Yukimura-kun?"

In the next court, Inui and Yanagi were having a match. At the question, both of them halted temporarily.

"Just look for Sanada. Yukimura would be right next to him." Both of them replied at the same time before they resumed their match.

"As usual." The captain went to seek the both of them, and found those two having a match with their former junior high regulars-Marui, Jackal, Niou and Yagyuu.

"Kirihara-buchou. Is it our turn to have our match yet?" Yukimura enquired politely.

"Hai. The four of you may join us. We would need all the practice we can get, with the inter-school games just days away."

"Roger that, captain." Niou said, taking his racket and heading over to where the regulars were.

As they approached the other regulars, they could see that Hiro and Taki were now doing their usual practice--jump rope, which helped to train their reflexes as they were sharing the same rope.

"Oh? You've found the both of them." The two stated without slowing their pace.

"Indeed. Both of you can stop your skipping now. You would be fighting against these two."

"Oh boy..." Taki groaned. Since Echizen was not around to help the Rikkai Dai players with practice, they had to settle for two of Rikkai's most powerful players to help them instead.

"I wonder what has happened to that Seigaku captain. So far, he had not missed any of our practices." Hiro said, hitting a shot to Sanada, who returned it easily.

Yukimura looked thoughtful. "I have a friend in Seishun Gakuen who mentioned that Echizen was in a slump for some time now. According to him, the Seigaku captain could barely play even during his practices."

"That is worrisome. I believe the junior high schools would be having their competitions soon too. Wonder what is bothering him?" the motherhen captain sighed.

As Inui came to the net to retrieve a drop-shot, Yanagi lowered his voice so that only his doubles partner could hear him.

"Say, Sadaharu. Could Echizen's condition have something to do with a certain _Kunimitsu_?"

Yanagi was probably the only one who could see past Inui's glasses, and he knew he had hit the jackpot at how Inui's eyes had widened by 5 mm.

He smiled slightly. "Oh? Or was that supposed to be a secret?" he teased.

"What secret?" Marui had popped up from nowhere, with the trickster Niou just next to him. Inui gulped. Looked like Yanagi's voice hadn't been soft enough.

"We were just wondering about the new ingredients for the Inui juice, version 20." He lied smoothly, seeing the colour drain from the volley specialist and trickster's faces.

"Could you explain why you would want to add a _Kunimitsu_ into your newest creation? I've never heard of such a thing anyway." Marui made a face.

"Kunimitsu? That's Tezuka's name. Tezuka Kunimitsu." Yukimura said, still busy sending Hiro and Taki running all over the courts.

Marui's eyes widened. "Oh. So you were referring to that Kunimitsu. Why would you want to be adding him into Inui juice? We're not cannibals, you know." He took a wary step away from Inui.

Yanagi couldn't continue the game anymore, as he was too busy laughing. Inui threw him a glare that only he could see, one that said 'this-is-all-your-fault'.

"You have it all mistaken, Marui. Sadaharu would not be adding anyone into his creations. We would rather not talk about that." Yanagi said hurriedly.

Unfortunately, all the eyes of the regulars were on him, as everyone had gotten interested in the topic.

"Spill, Inui. You've gotten all of us curious about what this big secret is already." Hiro grinned.

"No." Inui looked away, wondering if there was a chance to make his escape.

"What secret? Does this have anything to do with Echizen? If yes, please tell us. I wonder what could be bothering him and it is making me uneasy." Kirihara said worriedly.

"Just tell us, Inui-kun." Sano ordered.

Yanagi gave a sigh. "Ah well. They'll know sooner or later anyway. Echizen's just having some trouble with his date, that's all."

Everyone blinked at that.

"That's the big secret? Ceh..." Hiro snorted.

Kirihara looked sympathetic. "The poor thing. He must be feeling rather troubled by that if he can't even play tennis well."

Niou studied both of the data players.

"Don't tell me...his date is Kunimitsu?" he asked innocently.

Inui flinched, causing a grin to break out on the trickster's face.

"Oh? I was only joking. So I'm right after all."

'Damn trickster...' Inui thought.

The others had gone still at that piece of information.

"Echizen...dating Tezuka? That was unexpected..." Yagyuu said.

"Both of them swing that way too huh?" Jackal added thoughtfully.

Sano snorted. "So his preference is towards men...what's the big deal about that?"

"That's right. We already have two openly dating here." Niou teased, causing Sanada to go red, while Yukimura chuckled good-naturedly.

Inui gave a sigh of relief. Apparently the Rikkai Dai players were more open-minded than he had thought. Oh well, he could add that to his data later.

"At least we now know why that boy was in such a slump. Inui, since you would be going over to Seishun Gakuen regularly, please do what you can for him."

Inui adjusted his glasses. "That goes without saying."

::End of Intermission::

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Atobe would not be known as the one with insight if he didn't spot the difference that morning. To others, Tezuka seemed to have returned to his old self, but he could see that the captain was as gloomy as he was two days ago.

"You would have to improve your dash." Tezuka stated as Kira had again failed to catch his drop-shot.

He then directed the next shot at Yamato, who returned it easily.

"I'm glad you're back to yourself, Tezuka-kun." His former captain said with a smile.

Fuji had his arms folded. "I wonder about that..." he said softly.

Atobe sighed. Things couldn't get any worse than this, could they?

When time was up, Tezuka ordered for the members to assemble.

"The competitions would be the day after tomorrow. Let's not be careless. You're all dismissed."

"Hai, buchou!" everyone chorused.

"Hoi, Tezuka. You may be good at masking yourself, but you can't fool ore-sama's eyes. Whatever that is troubling you, deal with it fast. Ore-sama would not permit anyone to perform badly during the competitions." Atobe said as Tezuka passed him.

The captain turned his eternally expressionless face to his vice-captain. "I will not drag the team down." He said before walking off. He had a feeling the diva was encouraging him, but it could have been a taunt as well. He couldn't be too sure.

Once Tezuka had left the courts, Oishi suddenly gave a yelp.

"Ah! I forgot to give this to Tezuka!" he said.

"What is it?" Eiji bounced over to his doubles partner.

"He left this in his drawer after class. I was thinking of returning it to him during practice, but it completely slipped my mind." Oishi mentally smacked himself.

"Oh? His history notes huh..." Asakawa said. Tezuka might need this for his revisions.

Oishi hurriedly picked up his bag. "I'll drop by his house and pass this to him. See you all."

"Oishi. Let me give this to him. I'll be passing by his house on my way to see Yuuta later." Fuji suddenly spoke up, smiling.

The moon volley player looked rather relieved. "You would? Ok then. Thanks." If he were to go to Tezuka's house, he would have to take a detour as he was going off somewhere else after that.

"Don't mention it." Fuji replied, taking the book.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tezuka had been seated at his table when he heard his mother call from downstairs.

"Kunimitsu. You have a friend here to see you."

The brunette got up from his seat and made his way to the door.

Fuji smiled at him. "Konbanwa, Tezuka. You seemed to have forgotten something." He held out Tezuka's history notes.

"Aa. Arigatou." Tezuka took the notes and looked up, seeing that Fuji was making no move to leave.

"May I come in Tezuka? I have something I need to talk to you about."

Wordlessly, the captain nodded, leading Fuji to his room.

The tensai made himself comfortable on one of the chairs, while Tezuka sat at his study table.

"I'll get straight to the point. Your performance these past few days had been...disturbing."

Tezuka closed his eyes for a moment. Here they go again...

"Oishi sent you, didn't he?" Tezuka asked.

Fuji shook his head. "I came here by my own accord. Let's say I've found it difficult to just sit and watch the drama between you and a certain junior high captain."

Tezuka opened his eyes. Junior high captain? So he was right in guessing that Fuji had already noticed.

"Aa. Inui and I already know about you and Echizen-kun. The Seigaku captain's performance had been disastrous these few days as well. You could confirm it with Inui. I assure you our data master can give you everything in detail." There was mild sarcasm in the tensai's voice.

Once more, Tezuka could feel the guilt rushing through him. He really had been too harsh with Ryoma that day. Maybe Ryoma did have some feelings for him after all, if he really was in such a terrible state as Fuji had said.

Then again, why should he be convincing himself of what Ryoma might be thinking? If Ryoma really liked him shouldn't he be calling him or leaving a message by now?

Fuji was studying him. Tezuka had never quite been able to fool the tensai, no matter which mask he had put on.

"Just what is it you feel towards Echizen, Tezuka?" he asked after a while.

Tezuka went so silent at that, the tensai wondered if he even heard the question.

"I love him." Tezuka said finally, his tone dead serious.

Fuji snorted. "By how I see it, you obviously don't love him enough, if you're having so many doubts about him. I suppose you haven't even apologized to him yet."

Tezuka frowned. Why should he be the one apologizing?

"It's too late anyway. It's over between us." Tezuka said, trying to push his guilt away.

Fuji didn't look too happy about it.

"I suppose you're right. It is too late. Echizen is reduced to such a nervous wreck now, the next time you see him would probably be during the visiting hours of the mental asylum."

Tezuka twitched, not liking that mental image.

Fuji knew that Tezuka was letting his ego take over. Oh well, no point in him staying then.

With that, the tensai got up to leave.

"I suppose you really won't be apologizing to your boyfriend. What a pity. Well, since you have no hold over him anymore, I think Echizen-kun's fans will be highly delighted once they _hear_ of this. I don't think you're aware that he's the third most popular guy in Seishun Gakuen."

Again Tezuka twitched visibly.

"Since he's single, I'm sure he might accept it if one of the girls asked him out. Hmm…in fact, I might consider dating him as well. He is kind of cute."

With that, Fuji turned, his back facing Tezuka, so that the K-High captain couldn't see the evil smile on his face. The tensai left the room, knowing that the captain's jaw should be hanging on the ground by now.

Oh well, since Tezuka didn't look like he was going to apologize, Fuji had to hope that the brunette's jealous streak would speak up louder than his ego. He had no intentions of dating Echizen, of course. Unlike Tezuka, he was straight. But sometimes desperate times called for desperate measures, so he had used that lie to give Tezuka's imagination a boost.

Meanwhile, Tezuka had not moved from his seat even though Fuji had left quite a while ago, his mind going into overdrive.

While he really wished for Ryoma to be the one to call first, if what Fuji said was right, then he had to reconcile with the boy quickly, or he would really lose him. Since Fuji was involved, there was a high chance the tensai might be able to get Ryoma, with that sadistic mind of his, and the thought of the two of them walking hand in hand did not appeal to Tezuka's imagination.

He stared at his phone, a slight twinge of fear rushing through him. Would Ryoma accept his apology? What if Ryoma breaks off their relationship the minute he called? Considering the other boy's character, he had a feeling Ryoma would hold a grudge against him.

For a long while he sat there, trying to gather his courage to pick up the receiver.

Outside, the sky had darkened as it began raining.

Finally, Tezuka picked up the receiver and began to dial Ryoma's number. He could hear the doorbell ring downstairs.

"Kunimitsu. Your friend is here to see you. You'd better bring him inside." His mother called.

Tezuka put down the phone. What? Did he forget his geography notes too, or did Fuji decide he wasn't done berating him yet?

"Okay." He told his mother, making his way downstairs to the door.

The one at the door, however, wasn't Fuji. In fact, it was the very person that had been haunting his dreams for nights.

Ryoma was soaked to the skin, his green hair matted to his head. Tezuka felt a jumble of feelings rush through him at the sight of his boyfriend. Happiness, fear, guilt, concern and confusion. He didn't know what to say for a while as he tried to put on his mask, but somehow, the jumble of feelings must have created a rather scary look on his face.

Ryoma must have thought so, for he shuddered.

"Come in." Tezuka finally said once he got back his voice, and once he had finally stopped staring at the boy stupidly.

He led the way back to his room, noting that Ryoma was awfully quiet on his way there. Once more, fear began to bite at him. Was Ryoma so pissed off that he ran all the way in the rain to give him a good firing?

As Ryoma stood near the door, Tezuka rummaged through his closet and took a towel.

"Dry yourself off. You're soaking wet." He said, tossing the towel to the boy. While he was tempted to help to dry Ryoma off, he would rather not come into contact with the boy for now. Several days of being Ryoma-deprived had really threatened his self-control. He doubted he would ever let Ryoma go if he touched him, especially if Ryoma really was here to break up with him.

Ryoma sat awkwardly before him, and Tezuka found himself dreading the moment the boy spoke up.

As Ryoma opened his mouth to speak, Tezuka tensed.

"Kuni...Buchou. I want to apologize. I'm sorry for not being very clear regarding all my actions this whole week. I'm sorry to cause you to misunderstand. I'm sorry for taking your feelings for granted."

_Eh? Ryoma was apologizing?_

Tezuka felt relief washing through him, now that he knew they weren't in danger of being ex-boyfriends. As the poor boy spoke, with his voice shaking slightly, Tezuka felt the guilt returning. Fuji had been right. He had been such a jerk to Ryoma, allowing his jealousy to cloud his feelings for the boy. He hadn't given the boy his complete trust.

"I like you, Ku...buchou. I really like you. So it really hurts when you're ignoring me like that. I don't want you to hate me." Ryoma finally said.

Tezuka's feelings overflowed at the younger boy's awkward confession. He wrapped his arms around the other's smaller frame.

"No. The one at fault here was me. I had lashed out at you in a stressed moment, and did not bother to even listen to what you have to say. I'm sorry." Tezuka said, making a silent promise to not ever doubt Ryoma's feelings towards him again.

"Buchou?" Ryoma sounded uncertain.

Tezuka frowned. He even made the poor boy so afraid to call him by his name. "Haven't I said it before…call me Kunimitsu."

Ryoma then did the most un-_Ryoma_-ish thing at that moment—he broke down in tears.

Unlike Tina Joou-inu, whose loud, fake tears could wake the dead, Ryoma's tears were still very much contained, as he was struggling to keep himself in check. Even though Ryoma was crying, it did not in any way make him look girlish.

Tezuka panicked. Crap, he made Ryoma cry! As if he wasn't enough of a jerk yet.

"I'm so sorry, Ryoma! I've hurt you _that _badly?"he hugged the boy, trying to comfort him.

Ryoma shook his head. "I'm just happy that you don't hate me."

Tezuka could immediately sense the boy's insecurity from his voice. Ryoma actually thought that he hated the boy?

He had better make his true feelings towards the boy clear.

"I can't possibly hate you, Ryoma." He said, and he kissed the boy, expressing his feelings through the kiss.

For a while, Ryoma seemed to have been frozen on the spot, though the boy eventually returned the kiss awkwardly. This was most likely Ryoma's first kiss. Their first kiss.

When they broke apart, Ryoma looked slightly dazed.

"I can't possibly hate you. Because I love you, Ryoma." Tezuka confessed.

Ryoma had actually gone so red at that. 'He really is too cute.' Tezuka thought, stroking his boyfriend's cheek.

The Seigaku captain looked like he was having trouble trying to sort out his feelings, as Tezuka could see all the mixed emotions flashing past on his face.

Tezuka sighed. Oh well. Maybe it was still too soon for Ryoma.

"Don't need to think too much about it. I'm happy to hear that you do like me. In time, you may learn to love me too." He said.

"Gomen. Kunimitsu." Ryoma sounded so innocent and guilty that Tezuka couldn't help smiling.

"I'm not offended." Tezuka reassured him. 'Though I am slightly disappointed.' He added in his heart.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Tomorrow's the day nya!" Kikumaru said brightly as both he and Oishi met Asakawa at the school gates.

"I'm feeling rather nervous about it." Asakawa admitted.

Kikumaru immediately glomped him. "Don't worry too much about it. This is your first time in a tennis competition, so it's natural to be worried. Just perform like how you do during practice. I don't think even Fudoumine's speed demon can match you when you start running."

"Who's that?" Asakawa asked, confused.

Oishi patted him on the back. "We'll introduce him to you someday. Ah. Tezuka. Ohayou."

The captain halted in his steps and slowly turned around…and all three of them screamed.

For on the stoic buchou's face was the biggest, brightest **_grin_** they had seen in their entire life.

"Oishi! He's possessed!" Kikumaru wailed as both he and Asakawa hid behind the motherhen.

"What are you peasants doing around here? It would not reflect well on ore-sama if my tennis clubs members were late to class and…GAH! Tezuka?! What happened to you?" Even the diva was severely freaked out, with his sharp eyesight magnifying the grin and projecting it in his mind.

Tezuka beamed even brighter at that. "Nothing happened. Come on now, let's go to class." The captain had literally skipped all the way there.

Atobe wondered why fate was so cruel to him. "Ah. Looks like there is no hope for our club after all. Tezuka had finally gone mad…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a good few hours later before Tezuka had finally managed to return back to his normal self. The club members were highly relieved to see his expressionless face back. While he looked better with a smile, he looked saner with a frown. All the tennis club members would prefer it if he remained sane.

Currently, they were all at Kawamura Sushi, having a get together before the inter-school games, though it was actually an excuse for Kikumaru and Asakawa to chow down.

"Konnichiwa." A voice greeted and all of them looked up to see Ryoma and Inui stepping into the shop.

"Ochibi!" Kikumaru had flown off his seat to give the usual greeting.

Kawamura grinned. It really had been a while since Ryoma last came here, and he caught the smile Ryoma secretly threw at the K-High captain. Looked like they had reconciled.

"Minna. Do your best tomorrow. If you win, come back here and the sushi's on the house." Kawamura said.

There was an immediate cheer from Kikumaru and Asakawa's direction.

Ryoma dropped into a seat next to Tezuka. He took one of the sushis and popped it into his mouth.

"Compared to my tennis club, senpai-tachi, all of you really are mada mada dane." He said, the arrogance back in his voice.

"Ochibi! Don't look down upon us! We can all take you on anytime." Kikumaru challenged.

Oishi laughed. "That's right. We would see to it that K-High becomes the champion. Ne, Tezuka?"

The stoic captain nodded. "Saa. Yudan sezu ni ikkou." Tezuka said.

For some time, Tezuka felt that nothing could go wrong in the world as everyone chatted with each other while enjoying their sushi. Ryoma was now having a battle with Kikumaru, who had tried to steal one of the sushis on the Seigaku captain's plate.

Then trouble arrived as the door burst open. A certain loudspeaker on two legs had just barged in.

"Oh! So here you are, Ryoma! Why wasn't I invited? I'm your girlfriend you know." Tina wailed.

She came to the Seigaku captain and took hold of his arm. "Come on! Date! Date!"

"Uruse…you're annoying." Ryoma said, shaking her off with his golden eyes flashing. Even his tone was different than the other times he tried to say no to her.

Immediately she burst into tears. "So mean! So mean!"

Ryoma sighed. This time, it was definitely not her he was going out with. He had learnt that lesson already.

"Joou-inu. Fetch!" he flicked a coin out of the window, and the crazy girl dove after it.

Ryoma smirked. "Mada mada dane. Gochisousama. I'll see all of you again, senpai-tachi. Buchou, shall we?" he got up.

"Aa." Tezuka paid for both of their meals and followed Ryoma out.

The rest looked on, stunned. Fuji, Inui and Kawamura were beaming.

"Where is Ochibi going with Tezuka-buchou?" Kikumaru finally asked.

Inui buried his face behind his book. "He's asking for some advice regarding the coming competitions. They're having a captain to captain talk." He lied smoothly.

"I see. Heh. Even with him boasting so much, he really is nervous about the competitions after all nya." Kikumaru chuckled.

As Kikumaru, Oishi and Asakawa were engaged in their own conversation, Fuji went to sit next to Inui. "They've reconciled, that's for sure." He said.

"Aa. There was only a 45 percent chance, actually, so I'm glad they're back together. Though I think they wouldn't have been so frank and so honest to each other, had it not been for someone else…"

"Us?" Fuji smiled.

Inui shook his head. "No. Even we would not have been able to do anything about them. It's 'Tina' that had helped them."

Fuji blinked for a while, then smiled.

"I think I understand. If their relationship hadn't been threatened, these two would not have felt the urgency to express themselves to each other."

"That is correct. So you might actually have to thank that girl instead of kick her."

Fuji laughed. "Saa…I still vote to kick her."

"I was thinking along the same lines. She really gave us a lot of trouble trying to patch things up for them." Inui said.

Fuji shook his head. "No. It's the wooden couple themselves who are giving us so much trouble that we have to help them patch things up. This really is the last time I'm helping such an inexpressive couple."

"I agree. Let's hope they won't get themselves into trouble again."

To be continued…

A/N: Finally finished it! Yup, as Inui and Fuji had mentioned, **that** was the real reason why I put the OC Tina in there, aside from character bashing. I needed a reason for Ryoma and Kunimitsu to warm up to each other. If they were to get all friendly with each other since the start, that would be severely OOC.

As I reread the part about the confessions, I can't help laughing. Had always been weak at writing romance stories. Tezuka's POV is way more perverted than Ryoma's POV in the other fic. Hope it wasn't too cheesy. :p

I think I'm one of the few writers who describe Fuji as straight. Kind of ironic, as I like Fuji to be paired up with Kawamura, though I won't be writing that in my fics.

So sorry about the very late update. Would start work on the next chapters soon. Look forward to them.

**Don't forget to vote for your fav doubles team. Let the battle between the Silver Pair and the Dirty Pair begin!**

Alright then, **please read and review**. **No flames please**.

-Gwyn


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. I own my original characters though. (Tina is free for adoption, if any of you are interested)**

**Warning: Contain spoilers for latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. Angst in some chapters.**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, Momoshiro X Ann.**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 8 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: The votes have been counted. Here are the results…

**Silver Pair**—**11 votes**

**Dirty Pair**—**21 votes**

To be honest, I was relieved that the Dirty Pair had won, as I had just realized I had made another mistake…Ohtori Choutarou was a sophomore in the manga, and therefore he's only a third year junior high student in this story, so the Silver Pair would not exist in this fic. I've already made Kabaji a senior high student in this fic. I'd better stick to the story this round. Choutarou would be facing Ryoma and the rest instead.

**Thank you all for your reviews**.

Rewriting my plot. So sorry to all those who voted for the Silver Pair. Baka Gwyn. (bonks head).

Alright then. To the story…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 10

The district preliminaries for the senior high group looked promising as the day began with clear skies. Several schools were already arriving at the courts.

Gakuto peered around for his fellow club members. Only 6 of the eight regular members were here. Out of the six, he was the only first-year. There were four third-years and one second-year.

Just then, he spotted Oshitari arriving with the former Hyotei regulars.

"You're late, Yuushi!" Gakuto complained immediately, going over to his doubles partner.

The tensai chuckled. "So sorry about that. We had to go pick up a sleeping beauty." He jabbed a finger in the direction of Jirou, who was being carried by Kabaji. The volley specialist was still snoring. Gakuto wondered if the fellow would have a heart attack if he woke up suddenly and found himself no longer in his house.

Yagami-buchou, another third year, arrived not too long later. "Good. All of us are present. We had better make a move now."

"See you guys later." Gakuto waved as both he and Oshitari went off to the registration counter, following the other regulars.

"Let's see the boards. Who know which school we'll be facing." Shishido suggested.

"Usu." Kabaji agreed, still carrying his cargo.

By accident, Kabaji had bumped into another team on the way to the board.

"Watch where you're going, you big ape!" Immediately one of them snapped.

"Watch your words!" Shishido snapped back.

All eyes turned to the cap wearing first year.

"Oh? Isn't this fellow one-half of the Silver Pair? A pity your partner is still in junior high."

"Must be a shame for all of you former Hyotei regulars. Only two had managed to get into the Roshan High regulars, while the rest of you are stuck waving pompoms." Another sneered.

"Yarou!" Shishido, who was known for his temper, seized the other guy by the front of his shirt.

That third-year, who was much taller than Shishido, shoved the cap wearing boy away.

"Don't touch me." He raised his hand to hit the first year...and someone caught it.

"We're not your opponents, Gaki High. If you have something to say, do so when we meet on the courts." Yagami-buchou said sternly, releasing the guy's hand. The regulars came between the rival school's members and the first years, shielding them.

Gaki High's players snorted. They were not crazy enough to challenge Roshan High's captain. "We'll let you off easy then. For now. " They looked at the list to see who their opponent was.

"...Kanto High...Wait a minute. Kanto High would be..." Immediately, the image of a bunch of players wearing muddy brown uniforms entered their minds.

All of the Gaki High players burst out laughing. "Wonderful! We're going against that school of geeks?" their captain Buta said, wiping his eyes.

"Ah. I wonder why they even bother to enter the competitions, seeing their performance last year. They're a disgrace to tennis. I can't wait to see if that whale sized fellow is still their captain this year. The only two players who could actually play last year was that vice-captain of theirs, Kira, and that second-year Yamato. This should be an easy win." Gaki High's vice-captain Tamago said haughtily.

"I've heard that their regulars consist of mainly first-years this round. Could you believe that? They must have set their standards pretty low."

"Ah. Speak of the devils. Aren't those two over there Kira and Yamato themselves?" one of their members suddenly pointed.

The captain and vice-captain squinted. They looked like Yamato and Kira indeed, but their uniforms seemed different.

"We'll see you later, Roshan High." They walked off to their new targets.

"Ne, Yuushi. Should we warn them?" Gakuto asked after a while.

Oshitari gave an evil smile. "Why spoil the fun?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The two Kanto High players really stood out with their new uniforms. The white, red and orange colour combination gave off a very lively air.

"I wonder where the juniors are." Kira looked at his watch worriedly. There was still quite some time before registrations were closed, but when he was vice-captain last year, Kanto High was nearly disqualified as the piggy captain had been late. Some of that fear remained in his heart even now.

Yamato patted his shoulder lightly. "Don't worry. Knowing those people, they would be here quite soon. I was Seigaku's captain once, so I know some of their characters."

Just then, they found themselves staring at all eight of Gaki High's regulars.

"Oh? New uniforms? Or did the both of you finally decide to transfer to a new school?" That captain...what was his name again...? Ah yes, Buta sneered.

Yamato merely smiled. Patience had been one of his strongest points, so he did not snap back at them. "Nothing of that sort. We're still in Kanto High."

"Here to lose again? All of you really don't feel any shame at all..." all eight of them laughed.

Yamato had a bitter smile on his face. To discourage the members from joining the tennis clubs, their coach last year had sent them to the competitions, and the humiliation of their defeat (and their uniforms) had made a lot of their members quit.

Just then, Ayaka-sensei had arrived as well. "Oh, you two are early. Is there something wrong?" She directed the question at the Gaki High members, who were all staring stupidly at the pretty teacher the minute she made her appearance.

Of course, she looked so young that all of them thought that she was a student of Kanto High.

Kira immediately shielded her from the sight of the Gaki High students. Some even look close to salivating. "This is our coach, Ishii-sensei." He said quickly.

Before anyone could say anything, Fuji had reached them. "Ohayou." He greeted, and the Gaki High students' eyes widened at seeing that the genius was wearing the same uniform as Kira and Yamato.

"Oh my gourd! Tensai F-Fuji Syuusuke...he's in Kanto High?!" they backed off.

Fuji turned his attention to them. "Oh? Is there a problem with that?" he asked, causing them to back off some more.

Moments later, someone glomped Fuji from behind. "We're here nya! Hope we're not late." Kikumaru said cheerfully.

"We just stopped by Kawamura's place on the way here." Oishi explained. He looked worried at seeing that the Gaki High students were turning blue. "Daijoubu ka?" he asked.

"G-Golden Pair!" they screamed. Did they even have a sliver of a chance?

Asakawa arrived next, yawning slightly. "Ohayou."

A relieved grin spread on the faces of the Gaki High students. Looked like there was hope after all. They had never seen this guy before in any competition. He might be weak.

Kikumaru, who had the best eyesight, squinted at a distance. "Oh. I see a wallet."

Fuji turned to Asakawa. "I think that might be yours."

Asakawa patted his pockets. "You're right." He zipped away and was back a heartbeat later, causing the other school's players' jaws to drop again. Nope. Scratch that. This guy doesn't look so weak after all. He's super fast...

Still, there were only six of them here. Maybe the other two were weak...?

The killing blow finally came...

"Ne. Tezuka. Don't you think ore-sama's uniforms are way better than all these peasants'?" Atobe was looking around, wrinkling his nose every time someone came close to bumping into him.

Kanto High's stoic buchou said nothing, and neither did his expression change. To the Gaki High players' horror, _they_ too were wearing the Kanto High uniforms, except that Atobe's jersey had more glitter. Oh shirt! So Kanto High has not just one, but _two_ National level players...well actually five, since Fuji and the Golden Pair could be considered National level as well.

Tezuka had a knack for sensing trouble, and his stern gaze rested on the Gaki High students. "Stay away from my Kanto High players." He finally spoke up in such a dangerous tone that had some of the other team's players wetting their pants.

"Hai!" they fled, with Tezuka's sharp gaze still burning into their backs.

The eight regulars then made their way to the counter.

"Kanto High School, here with the eight regulars." Tezuka announced to the shocked officer at the counter.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ne. Did you hear? Tezuka Kunimitsu and Atobe Keigo are both in Kanto High."

"Sugoi! Wasn't that supposed to be a weak school?"

Atobe enjoyed the attention he was receiving from all the other schools. Ah yes, be awed by his presence. "Oh! It's Atobe-sama! So cool!" a few girls blushed...and fainted when he blew them a kiss in return.

"Oh! It's Tezuka-sama! He's so cool when he's frowning like that." Tezuka frowned even more at those words.

"Fuji-sama!" another batch of girls squealed, and the feminine looking counter-attacker merely smiled and waved at them.

"We sure are attracting a lot of attention." Yamato chuckled. They were all waiting for their match to begin.

"Tezuka is Kanto High's captain, isn't he? Wait...then Atobe is the vice-captain...Atobe is the vice-captain?! I never thought I'd live to see the day..." the poor passerby was already being strangled by the diva.

"Enough, Atobe." Tezuka ordered.

Kikumaru was now doing a handstand. "Tezuka, who plays singles 1?"

"About that..." Tezuka frowned, recalling the reason as to why both he and Atobe were slower than the others that day.

"_Ore-sama refuse to be in Singles 2." Atobe said angrily that morning as he saw the list of players._

_Tezuka gave him a calm stare. "The order of players has been set."_

_Atobe glowered at him. "You did not consult ore-sama about this, Tezuka. Ore-sama challenge you to a match for this."_

"_We don't have the time for this." Tezuka frowned._

_Seeing that the diva was stubborn, Tezuka thought of something._

"_Very well. We'll settle this with rock, scissors, paper. Whoever wins would be in Singles 1 for the first match, then we'll switch after that and take turns."_

"_What's that?" Atobe asked, confused. Was Tezuka asking him to create an origami project?_

A/N: I think that's how it's spelt. Origami is the term for craft made out of paper, like a paper airplane, or a paper boat, or a hat etc...Pls correct me if I'm wrong)

_It took about two minutes for Tezuka to explain the game. (Atobe: "Hmph! So this must be what you peasants do when you have too much free time on your hands.") It took another minute to convince Atobe to play this 'peasant's game'...and it took just one second for Atobe's rock to kill off Tezuka's scissors..._

"Ah. So Atobe is in Singles 1..." Fuji was highly amused. He knew that these two powerful players would be fighting for that spot.

"Aa." Tezuka said.

"I'm surprised that Atobe would play rock, scissors and paper though. I would have thought that it was not your type of game." Oishi pointed out.

Atobe huffed. "What are you saying? It is a very noble game indeed, fitting for my royal blood."

"I wonder if he'll say the same thing had he lost." Kikumaru whispered to Asakawa, and both giggled.

Atobe spotted the Roshan High regulars. "Now if you'll excuse me a while." He went off to talk to his former Hyotei members.

Just then, another bunch of people came to join their group.

"Yo! Tezuka-buchou. We have arrived!" Momoshiro said in greeting.

"Oh? What are all of you doing here?" Oishi asked, seeing all the Seigaku regulars.

Momoshiro nodded in a certain captain's direction. Said captain was now enjoying a can of Ponta. "We're here on someone's orders."

"Our competitions would be starting in 4 days. It will do all of you good to observe the senior high's games. Take it as part of practice." Ryoma said, his golden gaze daring anyone to object.

"Nya Ochibi-chan is just looking for an excuse to spy on us." Kikumaru glomped him.

"Eiji..." Oishi said weakly.

Atobe returned to their group. "Oh? You're here to see ore-sama's beautiful skills?" he smirked.

Ryoma gave him a stare. "Yadda. My skills are way better than yours."

Everyone could already feel a cold wind blow past as the two arrogant players were now engaged in yet another glaring match. Tezuka sighed.

"Enough of this. Everyone, we would be starting our match soon. Warm up." He ordered, walking off to the vending machine to get a bottle of mineral water.

He bought a can of Ponta too, and sure enough, Ryoma was next to him.

"I don't think you have to worry at all. I doubt there's an opponent that can actually match you here, and the only one who can is in your team." Ryoma stated.

Tezuka handed the Ponta over to his boyfriend, who gave his thanks and opened it.

"It's not a good idea to underestimate your opponents, Ryoma." Tezuka scolded lightly.

Ryoma smirked. "I know. Still, I really don't think there is anyone that can beat you here. All the same, ganbatte ne, Kunimitsu."

"Aa." Tezuka felt Ryoma give his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Neither of them noticed the sharp eyes of a certain silver-grey haired vice-captain.

Atobe smirked. So this confirmed the suspicions he had for a while. No one could fool his eyes. This really is getting interesting...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We will now have the match between Kanto High and Gaki High." The referee announced.

The Gaki High players were all sweating like a waterfall. Kikumaru gulped. "Oishi. They really take their warming up very seriously, don't they?"

"Aa." Oishi whispered back.

Atobe gave all of them his trademark Ice Emperor stare.

"I've heard that some of you were bullying ore-sama's Hyotei players this morning. You sure have a lot of nerve, eh. Well, ore-sama hope you've bought insurance…"

The Gaki High players were obviously shaking now.

"Buta-buchou. What should we do?" one of the players of the other team whispered.

Buta gritted his teeth. "Looks like we have no choice..."

In unison, all of the players yelled: "We concede this match, as all of us have a stomach ache from food poisoning. Also, we have to go to the hospital, as our coach has just given birth."

All of the Kanto High regulars blinked. "EH?!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Told you there is nothing you have to worry about." Ryoma was trying to hide his laughter.

Atobe was in a very bad mood, for it would be Tezuka playing Singles 1 the next round. To think he had a chance wasted like that.

"I can't believe we won one match just like that. How disappointing." Kikumaru sighed.

Kira frowned. "They said that their coach had just given birth...but...their coach is a guy..."

All of them froze at Kira's words. Even Atobe had stopped sulking.

"EW!" All of them said at the same time. (Minus Tezuka, who doesn't speak as usual)

"I don't want to picture that." Oishi shuddered.

Asakawa got to his feet and stretched. "Oh well. I'm sure the rest of the matches will be better."

Needless to say, with all the energy stored up for the first match, the K-High students creamed their opponents easily. Before long, they had reached the finals of the inter-school games.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was the last match, as well as the last day of the inter-school games. This round, Seigaku's regulars were not there, as their inter-school games had already started.

"Listen up. Here would be the order of players. Doubles 2—Fuji-Asakawa, Doubles 1—Oishi-Kikumaru, Singles 3—Atobe, Singles 2—Yamato, Singles 1—me." Tezuka folded the list.

"Eh? Atobe-fukubuchou is in Singles 3?" Kikumaru asked.

Atobe frowned. "Ore-sama am not pleased with this as well. However, their captain Yagami would be in Singles 3, and as ore-sama heard he's very powerful. I suppose he's worthy enough to be ore-sama's opponent."

The diva then studied all of them. "This would be the last match. Don't any of you dare to lose."

A loud cheer from the courts told them that the competitions were about to begin.

"Asakawa, Fuji. Don't let your guard down." Tezuka told them.

"Hai." Both of them replied, heading over to the courts.

"I'm not too worried about the both of them. Even though Asakawa-kun has not been to a tennis competition before, I'm sure his training will pay off." Oishi stated as the four began playing.

"He will need to gain more experience, that's all." Tezuka said, his arms folded as he watched.

The students of Kanto High were cheering their lungs out. Kikumaru pouted at that.

"Mou...it's sad that aside from our own members and Ayaka-sensei, there is no one else to cheer for us." He said.

Oishi smiled. "Most of the students in Roshan High were formerly from Hyotei Gakuen. I thought we all know about their style of cheering."

Seeing that Kikumaru was still pouting, he reached over and ruffled his doubles partner's hair before putting one arm around his shoulders.

"Don't worry. If we perform well in this match, the other students would cheer for us in the next competitions." Oishi said to soothe the acrobatic player.

Ayaka-sensei suddenly stood up from her seat. "That's strange...what is assistant headmistress Kitsune doing here?"

Both Atobe and Tezuka's head turned towards the stands as one. Sure enough, there was no mistaking all that jewelry.

Kikumaru beamed. "Well, while the headmaster is not encouraging our tennis club at all, at least we have our assistant headmistress."

"Aa. We would not let her down." Oishi agreed.

Both Atobe and Tezuka exchanged a dark look. They severely doubted that the headmistress was here to cheer for the club.

The two opponents from Roshan High were power players, and their extremely strong shots were knocking the rackets out of Fuji and Asakawa's hands.

"Now this is getting interesting." Fuji chuckled as the referee announced the 5 games to 2 score, with K-High leading.

"What would you like me to do?" Asakawa asked, waiting for instructions from the far more experienced player.

Fuji thought about it for a moment. "Ne. Asakawa-kun...do you still remember the training you did in week 7?"

"That one? I do. Why?" Asakawa returned the opponents' shots as he spoke.

Fuji smiled. "If he uses that 'Fireball' of his again, counter it with that training of yours."

Asakawa nodded to show that he understood.

Surely enough, after K-High scored several points, one of the opponents suddenly got into the pose of hitting his 'fireball', a powerful shot that was meant to aim near the handle of the racket to knock it out of the opponent's hands. Asakawa saw that and sped off to the back of the court.

"Fireball!" the ball came flying across the court at high speed.

Asakawa suddenly broke into a sprint. Using the sudden burst of speed to gain momentum, he caught the ball and nullified its power, changing it into a lob.

"You're doomed!" the other opponent hit a smash.

"Triple counter: Higuma Otoshi!" Fuji caused the ball to fall behind the two.

"Game and match, won by K-High Fuji-Asakawa pair, 6 games to 2."

As Fuji and Asakawa returned to their teammates, the Golden Pair were already making their way to the courts.

"Let's go, Oishi!" Both of them tapped their rackets together.

"We would win this, Eiji." Oishi agreed.

"Not if I can help it." On the other side, Gakuto stuck his tongue out at Kikumaru.

The two acrobatic players were already sending out a challenge at each other silently, as the four got into position.

"Try hopping higher, Kikumaru." Gakuto sneered as he did a demonstration.

Eiji frowned. He really didn't have that much jump power after all. "Ah, be quiet, Kangaroo."

"Nani?!" Gakuto was miffed as he landed back on his feet.

"Oi, Gakuto. We're in a match." Oshitari warned.

Oishi chuckled. He hoped that their rivalry would not reach Momoshiro and Kaidou's stage.

Oishi served, and all four began to play.

"They've improved." Oshitari noted at seeing the teamwork between the Golden Pair.

"Hoi!" Kikumaru used his acrobatic play.

Gakuto used his Moonsault, flipping into the air and returning the shot. He chuckled as Kikumaru failed to catch it.

Oishi quickly covered for his doubles partner, returning the shot. Kikumaru was already defending the space that Oishi had left unattended.

Roshan High's tensai was faster as he had managed to score first before Kikumaru could reach there in time. "You're too slow." He taunted.

"4 games all!"

As the game proceeded, the Golden Pair's teamwork got better, but so did the Dirty Pair's.

"I'm the better acrobatic player!" Gakuto was now engaged in mid-air combat with Kikumaru.

"So sorry. See you next week! Kikumaru Beam!" the red-haired acrobat had hit his trademark move, scoring them another point.

"5 games to 4!"

Oshitari sighed as Gakuto looked like he was going to explode. "Calm down, Gakuto."

"They're leading, Yuushi! How could I calm down?" the acrobat retorted.

As Oishi hit a shot at him, the tensai got into a very familiar looking pose.

Fuji's eyes opened slightly. "That.'s…"

Oshitari hit a counter that caused the ball to roll across the ground without bouncing.

"Oh great. He's learnt this skill as well, aside from Higuma Otoshi." Kikumaru groaned.

Before long, the two sides entered a tie-break.

"I will not let you win this round, even if Atobe sulks." Oshitari smirked, ignoring a very icy stare from the stands.

The players were breathing heavily from the match…well, all of them except one.

"We'll just have to let ourselves win then." Kikumaru was now flipping his racket, barely out of breath as compared to the other three.

As the game proceeded on, Gakuto began to lose stamina, especially since he was challenging Kikumaru with his Moonsault.

Oishi suddenly began scraping his racket on the ground.

"Moon Volley!" he aimed for the baseline.

Oshitari was there first. "Too slow!" he returned the shot, and was intercepted by Kikumaru.

"Kikumaru Bazooka!" the acrobatic player used the smash he came up with during the Nationals.

Oshitari hurriedly tried to counter with Higuma Otoshi, but his racket was knocked out of his hands instead, as his energy was already low, while Kikumaru's stamina was still high.

"Game and match, won by, K-High's Oishi-Kikumaru pair, 7 game to 6!" the referee announced.

The groans from Roshan High's side muffled the cheers from the few supporters of K-High.

"Good work, both of you." Tezuka said as they returned to the team.

Not too long later, there was a cheer from Roshan High's side as their captain Yagami stood up.

"Yagami! Yagami! Yagami! Yagami!..." all of them began to cheer. However, the cheers died out as Atobe stepped out to the courts.

As mentioned before, Roshan High consisted of many students who were formerly from Hyotei Gakuen. So…

"Kyaa! It's Atobe-sama!"

"What a surprise! He's in Singles 3!"

A new chant began almost immediately. With one half of the audience going "Atobe! Atobe! Atobe!" while the other half went "You're cheering for the wrong person!"

Atobe basked in the attention. He had missed that. His cheering squad in Kanto High was still very small currently, as compared to the crowd he had in Hyotei. He raised a hand and the cheers became louder.

"The winner is Atobe, the loser is Yagami! The winner is Atobe, the loser is Yagami! The winner is…"

**Snap**

Atobe took off his jersey and flung it into the air before lifting up his racket.

"Ore da!"

Satisfied with the cheers following that exclamation, Atobe looked towards his opponent…and realized that apparently the jersey he threw had landed on Yagami's head. The Roshan captain's current expression was far scarier than a frowning Tezuka.

"Ah. I'll take that back." Atobe took the jersey and flung it to the side of the court. A few of his bodyguards then took the jersey away.

Atobe then pointed his racket at Yagami. "I hope you're around Tezuka's level. Currently, aside from him and Echizen, I don't find many worthy enough to be my opponents."

"We'll see." The very tall, bulky Roshan captain readied his serve.

Atobe still had his smirk on his face. 'Tezuka. This guy had better be as dangerous as you say, or I'll may you pay for putting me in Singles 3.'

When Yagami fired a shot, however, even Atobe was slightly impressed.

For the Roshan captain's shot had left a deep, blazing trail on the ground.

"Oh? That's good. Getting serious even though it's only the preliminaries." Atobe said aloud.

The captain used that serve, which was quite impossible to return, and won a whole service game. Atobe looked like couldn't fight back at all.

Atobe had placed his fingers between his eyes. "Heh. Very interesting. Very well then. Ore-sama would show you my skills."

He fired an extremely deadly serve that Yagami could not return, keeping his service game as well. "Ore-sama no bigi ni yoi na."

(A/N: Ore-sama no bigi ni yoi na: be awed at the sight of my prowess)

"Tannhauser Serve. Looks like you're getting serious."

Before long, they began a match that dragged on. Yagami did not use that serve of his, preferring to test Atobe with his returns. Atobe too compromised by not using the Tannhauser Serve either.

"You may be on the National level, but I will not lose to you." Yagami fired a shot that was similar to Hadoukyuu, but was without the negative side-effects.

Atobe smirked. "Oh? You should be honoured to lose to ore-sama. All peasants do anyway. You're one of the few who could score 5 games against ore-sama."

"I'll wipe that cocky grin off your face." Yagami suddenly hit a topspin that flew over Atobe's head.

Atobe did not bother to catch it. "It would be out."

"Out!" the referee announced moments later.

Yagami frowned. His shot was supposed to land on the borderline, so why would it be out?

"Fuahahahaha! Be awed by my magnificent skills." Atobe crowed.

'You're weak against shots that are directed to your left arm, as you would have to return with a backhand. I can see it all.' Atobe thought.

Surely enough, Yagami lost the match, 7 games to 5.

"How disappointing. Even Tezuka was better competition when he played with an injured arm." Atobe declared arrogantly.

"Atobe. Enough of that." Tezuka chided, hurriedly stepping out to the courts before the Roshan regulars killed the diva.

Tezuka and Atobe both made their way back to their players as some of the audience began to cheer.

"We've won! We've won! We're one step nearer to the Nationals!" Kikumaru cheered.

Yamato beamed at the captain and vice-captain. "Under the both of you, I do not doubt that we would make it into the Nationals."

"Aa." As usual, Tezuka did not say anything much.

Atobe ran a hand through his hair. "That's of course, huh."

Ayaka-sensei chuckled. "Hai, hai. Come on now. Let's return to school for now. Shall we have a little celebration for this? It would be my treat."

Asakawa and Kikumaru cheered, while the others (except Tezuka) smiled.

Fuji wasn't looking at them, as his attention was on the assistant headmistress. Kitsune had gotten to her feet and was smiling at Atobe's back. Though there was something in that smile that made even the tensai shudder.

Pushing that thought aside for now, Fuji went to join his teammates.

To be continued…

A/N: As I've said in Echizen, Our Buchou, so sorry for the late update. Would not be able to update as frequently as I did in the holidays, especially when the assignments start pouring in. Rest assured though, my fic would be ongoing, as I'm not one of those types who would stop writing and abandon the fic halfway. (Unless I get anymore flames again. I've already gotten 1.)

Again, I apologize for the names of the schools and players. I think there is one name in particular which would seem familiar to many of you. Hehe.

**Please read and review**. **No flames please**.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. I only own my original characters.**

**Warning: Contain spoilers for latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. Angst in some chapters. Very long chapter.**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, Sanada X Yukimura. Hints of OC X OC**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 9 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: I think a few of you might have gotten the story alert for chapter 11 when there were only 10 chapters. Gomen. I was trying to replace chapter 10 (made a mistake and corrected it), but I ended up adding a chapter instead. So sorry for that.

**NineTsuki-chan**, thanks for the fireproof vest. Would get an anti-flamer spray as well to go with it. XD

**shoeythoughts**, I did something similar as well, when I ROTFLOL in my university's internet lab after reading Gravitation. A few looked at me like I was insane. Hehe.

**Yei**, so sorry about the chapter 11 thingy. Glad that you're another TezuRyo fan. Yay! I agree. Some of the tennis players have to be straight. If not, the girls would be left with the remaining boys and there would not be enough bishonens' genes to go around. (How many agree that most of the POT chars are bishonens, raise your hands. ::raises hands:: )

**string beans**, about Inoue and Shiba…well, they would be minor chars. Don't think I want to put the focus on them.

**merissala**, lol. Cut and paste. That's a new way of reviewing. To me at least. (scribbles down as notes). I think I'll let them remain as the Dirty Pair. After all, the ones reading fanfiction are the fans themselves, so the term should be alright. Hehe.

**black-winged Fury**, Thanks for those words of encouragement. You're right. The rest of the reviewers are really great. Still, I can't help but feel a little intimidated about writing the major angst coming up soon. Around 2 or 3 more chapters.

**Itsuki**, maybe I shouldn't have traumatized you with the spoilers of my story. Will still be doing the angst part though, itouko-san. I'm evil…Ufufufufufu…..

**To the others whom I've not mentioned, thank you all for your reviews as well.**

Alright then. To the story…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 11

The week after the competitions, all of the K-High members were busy with exams. Thanks to all the lessons from both Ayaka-sensei and Atobe's tutors, all of them were confident that they would do well this time.

Surely enough, the following week the results were pasted on the boards. Yamato and Kira were in the top 10 amongst the third years, while Fuji again bagged first place, Tezuka bagged second, and Atobe bagged fourth.

Their win in the District Preliminaries brought about several changes to the school.

For one, Kanto High had appeared in newspapers and tennis magazines, as it was news for an unseeded school to suddenly emerge champions in the competitions. The former Seigaku players' and Atobe's pictures made sure that the papers and magazines sold well, of course.

Secondly, the tennis club members seemed to have gotten themselves a number of fans, though Atobe, Tezuka and Fuji still had the highest number of admirers, of course.

"It's Atobe-sama! So cool!" a few girls giggled. Another few shy ones were trailing Tezuka, while the others raced after Fuji.

"Fuji-kun! You're really smart to get first place. Also, you're so good at tennis! Will you go out with me? I'd let you see my report card." A very geeky looking girl asked hopefully, her hands fishing inside her bag for her report card.

"Ah, gomen. I'm not interested in relationships at the moment." Fuji said quickly, walking away. He didn't like that kind of girls.

For a while, it seemed like everything was working in favour of the L classes, with their performance in both studies and sports, they were proving the narrow minded seniors wrong. More and more of the first and second years were now supportive towards their sport activities.

That was, until somewhere during the second week of March, when a new announcement was made through the P.A. system.

"All students assemble in the school hall now. **I** repeat, please assemble in the school hall now." The student council president's voice was broadcasted all over school as students were about to begin lessons.

Ayaka-sensei set down her book. "You would all have to go to the school hall, it seems. Fuji-kun. Please lead the way." She told the class monitor.

"Hai." Fuji said.

The students filled into the hall, with the 3 L-classes seated at the back with their teachers.

"Any idea what's going on?" Asakawa asked.

Yamato, who wasn't too far away from the first years, shook his head. "No idea. But by the way our class teacher was grinning; I doubt that it was a good thing."

Kitsune Mafuyu stepped on to the stage before long, with his student council members behind him.

"We will have a short ceremony for our new board of directors, to congratulate them for their elections. Also, **I** wish to announce that we have a new headmistress. Let's welcome Headmistress Kitsune, who has kindly taken over the previous headmaster's post."

"EH?!" Both Fuji and Atobe exclaimed, while Tezuka's eyes widened, though he did not say a thing. All the other students, however, were applauding loudly.

"I can't believe it! They've finally kicked off that stupid headmaster!" Asakawa cheered. He was the one who held the worst grudge against Toruwa.

"Maybe our clubs are saved now." Kikumaru agreed.

"Jun…" they could hear Ayaka-sensei mutter softly, and Tezuka noticed that she had a hand covering her eyes.

As the new headmistress gave her speech to her delighted students (except three), Fuji received a call.

"Hello?" Fuji ducked lower, so that he could be hidden behind Tezuka.

"_Bad time, Fuji?_" Inui asked over the other end.

"Kind of. We have a new headmistress…" Fuji replied.

Inui sighed on the other end. "_I thought so. Was about to talk to you about it. I would go over to your school around 6. I believe classes would have ended by then and most of the students would have left. Meet me at the gates. Renji and I had made a little discovery that I don't think Atobe-kun would be pleased about_."

"I'll see you then." Fuji ended the call as he sat up straight again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fuji reached the gates just five minutes before 6, and already Inui was there.

"Yo." The data master raised a hand in greeting.

"Inui, I hope you haven't waited long." Fuji greeted back.

Inui took out a file from his bag. He opened it and handed Fuji a newspaper clipping.

"I believe you might have seen this." He said.

Fuji skimmed through the news. "Headmaster of Kanto High under fire about school policy." He read the headlines out loud. Apparently many parents were now questioning his way of running the school, and by the looks of it, things were going out of hand.

"I don't understand. The school system was like this years ago. I would have thought that the parents already know about this…oh no…"

Fuji gritted his teeth as sudden realization hit him. "The district preliminaries…"

Inui nodded. "Aa. Your assistant headmistress had used your win in the district preliminaries to gain the media's attention. Of course, with all the publicity she made sure to reveal about the school's crazy system, and so far, very few students know who was the one really governing the school. Of course, all the blame fell onto your headmaster Toruwa Jun, and as many of the reporters had been digging up the school's secrets, let's say Toruwa-san cannot worm his way out of this."

Inui paused a while before continuing.

"Both Renji and I discussed about this, and we believe this must have been what had followed…"

**::cutscene::**

Toruwa Jun sat before the entire board of directors, his expression calm. The same could not be said for the members of the board though, as some were fidgeting uncomfortably in their seats, while others were throwing him angry stares.

There was a loud click as assistant headmistress Kitsune entered the hall, locking the door behind her to give all of them privacy.

"Gentlemen. I believe some of you might have an idea regarding what this meeting is for." She said once she was seated across the headmaster.

For effect, she threw the papers before Toruwa, and all of them erupted with angry hisses.

"This has severely damaged our school's reputation. How are we going to answer the parents now?" one member asked.

"I agree with Shinta-san. Kanto High had been well known for producing the best students. Now that the media has published such articles, the parents would not have faith in us anymore!"

While most of them were now against the headmaster, there was a small number still supportive of him though.

"It was not our headmaster who had implemented the system." One said.

"As far I remember, wasn't it Kitsune-sama who had suggested that the system was switched to exam-based?" an elderly board member said.

Kitsune merely gave a smile. "I might have suggested it, but it was Toruwa-san who had signed the papers, giving his consent. It was he who implemented the system."

Toruwa kept silent while all of the board members squabbled with each other. Not that he didn't want to say anything, but it was just that there was nothing he could say to defend himself.

Across the table, there was a small smile on the assistant headmistress' face. She waited until the board members were done with the worst of their arguments before speaking again.

"Currently, this is really a problem to the school indeed. I had received more than one complaint letter from the parents and even some from the general public. Many are asking for you to step down, Toruwa kochou-sensei."

Silence followed this. Toruwa closed his eyes. He knew this was going to come up sooner or later. After all, since he had taken over the post after his father, there were a number who did not like him.

"I second Kitsune-sama's suggestion. The best way to deal with the current situation is by electing a new headmaster."

"Definitely not! Toruwa-sama would be rolling in his grave at that." One loyal to Jun's father protested immediately.

"I will resign if Toruwa-san leaves his post." Another said.

"That can be arranged. All those in favour of Toruwa Jun remaining as headmaster, please raise your hands."

Only four raised their hands.

"I vote for Kitsune-sama to be promoted from assistant headmistress to the post of headmistress." Someone spoke up suddenly.

"I agree." There was a chorus from several others as nearly everyone in the room raised their hands at that suggestion.

Kitsune smiled. Everything was going as she had wished. She gave the board of directors a bow.

"I thank you all for your confidence in me. I will do my best. It's settled then. I will be the school's headmistress from today onwards, while Toruwa-san, you are demoted to the position of assistant headmaster. Gentlemen, I believe the four of you would be handing in your resignation letters to me soon."

**::end of cutscene::**

"So now the school is completely under her hold…even the board of directors…" Fuji paled.

"Aa. I have a feeling that there would be worst things to come in the future. You would have to stay alert."

"I'm sure Atobe knows about what his aunt is doing. His family is way richer than hers. With a snap of his fingers, he could probably have her replaced, so why isn't he doing anything?" Fuji wondered, now slightly frustrated.

"If ore-sama have the power to do that, ore-sama would have done so a long time ago." Atobe himself suddenly spoke up, making his presence known.

"Atobe..." The diva came closer to them, and it was obvious that he had heard everything they had said.

"Have ore-sama not told you before to keep out of the Atobe family business?" Atobe asked with his arms folded.

"I'm sorry, Atobe. I had not meant any harm." Fuji apologized.

The vice-captain gave both Fuji and Inui a stare.

"Well, ore-sama was about to request for your assistance anyway. Ore-sama had realized that this was not a battle ore-sama could win alone." Atobe looked like he was chewing on a lot of his pride just by asking the tensai and data tennis player for help.

Fuji smiled. So Atobe had finally accepted their aid. "I understand, Atobe. We would do what we can."

"You should be honoured that ore-sama have selected the both of you to be my assistants. The less people know about this, the better. I suppose it's alright for Rikkai Dai's Yanagi-kun to know...and maybe Tezuka. Aside from these people, I would not want the word to go out to anyone else." Atobe stated his terms.

Inui coughed slightly. "Actually, you would have to add an Echizen Ryoma to your list. My data tells me that he knows too."

Atobe sighed. It figures. Of course Tezuka would have already told the boy by now.

"Ore-sama don't think that he would be able to help much, but he's harmless anyway, so it's alright if he knows."

Inui scribbled in his notebook, while Fuji was the one who asked Atobe.

"Atobe. You mentioned that you were powerless against your aunt. Just what do you mean by that?" the tensai asked curiously.

Atobe frowned. "The Atobe family...has an unofficial rule that all members of the family have to follow. The Atobe family creed."

Both Fuji and Inui exchanged looks. Were rich people's families so complicated?

The diva continued on. "The creed was made to protect the lesser members of the family, so that the businesses of the not so rich members of the family would not be manipulated by the richer, more powerful members of the family. According to the rules, members of the Atobe family are not allowed to interfere in each other's businesses, and are not allowed to question the management of personal affairs. With this rule, my aunt has no say or any power in my dad's Global Industries. Similarly, my dad cannot interfere with how she manages the school, even if he knows about it. If anyone breaks this rule, the Atobe family would severe all ties with that person."

Fuji looked sympathetic once Atobe had finished, while Inui had disappeared behind his book muttering "Ii data."

Finally Inui snapped his book shut. "I believe at the moment, there is nothing much either of you can do about this. You would just have to tread carefully around her. Don't let her catch you even for the smallest mistakes, as she may use it against your tennis club. I would very much like to play against you people in the future, so I hope your club would still exist till then."

"We'll be careful, Inui." Fuji promised.

Atobe gave off a maniacal laugh. "This is getting interesting. Let the battle begin then."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You haven't been calling me at all recently..." Tezuka couldn't really keep the disappointment from his voice.

Ryoma lowered his head. "Gomen...I'm grounded for a week and I'm not allowed to use the phone at all."

"Eh?" Tezuka gave him a questioning gaze.

Ryoma took a sip of Ponta before continuing. "My parents found out about us." He said without looking at Tezuka.

Tezuka felt as if his heart was about to hop out of his mouth at that. "And...?" he asked tentatively.

Ryoma turned to look at him. To his surprise, the prodigy had smiled. "They're alright with it. In fact, I think they were pleased. They had thought I was asexual."

Tezuka was left blinking at that statement. Ryoma's parents...were sane right? Wouldn't one usually go into a state of panic if their son was gay? Then again, he wouldn't complain about his good fortune.

Ryoma continued on. "They, however, did say that they would like to invite you over to dinner someday."

"I see. Meet the parents huh..." Tezuka chuckled.

Ryoma leaned back against the bench slightly. "One more thing I have to mention. I believe you have read the papers recently?" he handed over a copy of the papers.

Tezuka of course had seen the news already. Their school had been in the papers for winning the competitions, and he had also seen the ones about the headmaster.

"Aa. I've seen that news already. My club members and I were used for that woman's plans to take over the headmaster's position. That fox..." he closed his eyes. Already he was feeling protective over his club. There was no way he would let the tennis club fall.

He opened his eyes after a while and gave a sigh. "I hope she would not do something too terrible after this. I dread the next exams."

Ryoma's golden gaze softened. "Must be very hard for you. Hang in there, ne buchou?" he patted Tezuka's arm reassuringly.

Tezuka smiled at his boyfriend. Somehow, he was smiling a lot recently, something that would definitely freak out the other club members if they saw him. He vaguely wondered what his motherhen best friend would say. Maybe Oishi might even have a heart attack on the spot?

"Kunimitsu, let's make a promise! A promise between captains. No matter how tough it would be in the future, we will lead our teams to the Nationals."

"Aa."

They clasped hands, sealing the promise between them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Headmistress Kitsune had definitely not wasted any time, as she was already using her authority to change a few rules.

For one, all the clubs had to reapply for permission directly from her. And she definitely did not make it easy for them to maintain their clubs, as all who went to her had to answer ten ridiculously difficult questions before she would sign the forms allowing the clubs to continue.

Not that it was much trouble to the tennis club, as Tezuka had answered all the questions perfectly. As she racked her brains to think up of other ways to kill off the tennis club, however, she quickly changed her mind. For Tezuka was standing before her with his gaze so stern that even she felt intimidated.

Even after she had signed the form, Tezuka's expression did not change. "I will take my leave now, headmistress Kitsune." He gave a slight bow and walked away.

Mafuyu, who was standing next to his mother, gave a slight chuckle. "You're afraid of him, mother?"

"Nonsense." The headmistress denied quickly. Her son snickered when he saw his mother shudder. The woman was probably remembering the tennis club captain's expression.

Even after she became the headmistress, the school policy had not changed at all as she convinced the board members that an exam based system was still the best. The school had been producing the brainiest students after all, and grades were all that mattered to most parents.

She tightened the rule about allowing strangers to enter the school compound. Thanks to this, Atobe's bodyguards and tutors were no longer allowed to enter the school, as they had to stay outside the gates. Of course, now many of the L class students were being bullied again, though a few black eyes from Tezuka had long convinced them to keep their paws off the tennis club members.

The worst, however, came a week later.

"Nothing seemed to have changed. I thought that everything would be alright now that we have a new headmistress. Is it really so difficult to change the school policy?" Asakawa said sadly.

Oishi patted him on the back. "It would take time. We'll just have to be patient."

"Ayaka-sensei sure is late. Is she ill again?" Kikumaru wondered. He really liked the teacher. Not in a romantic type of way, of course. Just that he regarded her as a friend.

The door opened, and this pot-bellied man walked in, still picking his nose.

Stunned silence filled the class as he walked over to the teacher's desk and plopped himself down on a chair.

"Your teacher Ishii Ayaka had just been given the sack, and I'm the new teacher for this _Last_ class. Man, I'm really not paid enough for this..." he did not even bother to sugar coat the news, which came as a blow to all the students, even to the ones who did not like studying.

"Ayaka-sensei was fired?" whispers begin to break out.

Kikumaru gave a groan and buried his face in his hands. "None of us even had the chance to say goodbye to her. She was really such a nice teacher. Why was she sacked?" Oishi had to console his upset doubles partner.

Even Fuji and Tezuka were affected by the news, as Fuji's smile turned down, and Tezuka was frowning worse than ever.

"Tezuka. Our new teacher...wasn't this the former tennis club coach, Touno sensei or something like that?"

"Aa." Tezuka said, recognizing him. His eyes narrowed immediately with dislike.

"Do whatever you want. There's no point wasting time teaching you last class students. I wonder how did Ayaka-chan stand this class for so long. She really should have been sacked earlier. Of course, that assistant headmaster was protesting very fiercely against Headmistress Kitsune's decision, but I'm glad that he does not have enough authority to overrule her."

"Yarou!" Asakawa looked fit to throw something at the teacher. He stopped, however when Tezuka pinned him a warning look. The captain gave a firm shake of his head, and Asakawa obeyed, though he remained scowling.

The tennis club members had a small meeting amongst themselves now that there weren't any classes.

"With Ayaka-sensei gone, we would really need the aid of your tutors from now onwards." Kikumaru said.

"Also, we no longer have a teacher advisor for our club." Asakawa added.

Atobe looked like he was struggling to keep his anger in check, though they all had a rough idea of how he was feeling--for he had snapped the pencil in his hand in half.

"We would think about the teacher advisor problem later. For now, all of you are to meet in ore-sama's mansion everyday. The tutors would be giving lessons before our tennis practices." Atobe said, putting down his broken pencil hurriedly.

"Arigatou, Atobe." Oishi said gratefully.

Atobe did not give his trademark "be awed by ore-sama's generosity" speech as he went back to his thoughts.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Of course, Tezuka told this to his boyfriend over the phone later.

"_Oh? So she has sacked such a nice teacher? I don't like the sound of that_." Ryoma was saying.

"Aa." Tezuka said, mildly depressed.

Ryoma detected it almost immediately. His boyfriend understood though, and wasn't jealous in the slightest bit.

"_It's sad indeed. I hope there would be a solution to this. Ayaka-sensei can return to the school then. I think now another problem you would have to tackle is the lack of a teacher advisor or a coach for your club_."

"I doubt the headmistress would send anyone good over. She would probably send someone terrible."

There was a pause at Ryoma's end. "_That actually gives me an idea_." There was glee in Ryoma's voice.

"What do you mean by that...?"

"_Seishonen! Get off the phone!_" he could hear Ryoma's father yell in the background.

Ryoma gave a snort. "_Baka oyaji. Oh well. You'll see what I mean soon enough_."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Headmistress Kitsune was, at the moment, speechless, as she wondered about how she should deal with the man before her.

He was wearing rather crumpled monk robes, and was reaching lazily inside his robes to scratch his stomach.

"Eh...as I was saying, I would like to take up a teaching post in this school." The man went straight to the point.

"I'm afraid all posts had been taken up." She said. That was true, and even if it wasn't, she wouldn't want a teacher like that.

The man scratched the back of his head. "In that case, I would like to take up the post as a teacher advisor then, or a coach. Anything will do. I just need a job."

Kitsune wrinkled her nose. There was no way she would let someone so scraggly in her school...and was that a _porn_ magazine he was hiding under his arm?!

She was about to reject his job application when an idea struck her as she pondered what he had said. He wanted the position of a teacher advisor or coach right?

She resisted the urge to rub her hands in glee. 'Kei-kun. A present for you.' She thought. "I have just thought of a suitable post for you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jaws dropped the following day as the student council president entered the class to introduce the tennis club's new coach.

A very messy looking monk stepped into the class after Kitsune.

"Eh...I think I'll introduce myself. Ecchi Nanjirou. Attracitve middle aged man who is very popular with the ladies. Anyone out there with pretty sisters?"

The whole L class blinked at him as sweatdrops appeared on everyone's head. Atobe was looking horrified. Tezuka was probably the only one who knew who the man really was.

Kitsune Mafuyu had to resist the urge to laugh. His mother was wise indeed. He couldn't wait to give her the report later. The tennis club was definitely doomed.

"I would be the new coach for the tennis club. All club members, meet me in the courts after lessons." Nanjirou said.

The class teacher Touno gave the weird man a bored look. "You can take them now. There would not be lessons anyway."

Nanjirou grinned. "Oh really? Good then! Tennis club members, follow me! You would have to call all the club members though."

That did not take long as Tezuka and Atobe went to the second and third year L classes to gather all their members.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

30 minutes later, all of them were chauffeured to Atobe's mansion, and all the way there, the diva had been eying the monk with dislike.

"So my aunt had sent you over to be our coach?" Atobe asked.

Nanjirou lit a cigarette and began puffing away. "Your coach, as well as your club's teacher advisor." He corrected.

He turned his attention to the others. The majority of the club members were looking unconvinced, though Yamato and Oishi were looking politely respectful towards him. Atobe was downright protesting while Tezuka was blank, as usual. Nanjirou couldn't quite read what the captain was thinking. Also, he had trouble reading a light-brown haired boy with slightly closed eyes.

"So, shall we begin? I don't have all day. Where are the tennis courts?"

Before Nanjirou could take a step forward, Atobe blocked his way.

"Ore-sama will see if you are worthy enough to be called this club's coach. Prove your worth in a match with ore-sama."

"Atobe…" Tezuka scolded.

Nanjirou merely laughed. "The hot-tempered nature of youths, how I have missed that. Don't worry, Tezuka-kun. One match would not hurt anyone." He reassured the captain.

Kikumaru leaned over to Oishi. "I don't think any of us had introduced ourselves yet. He knows Tezuka-buchou?"

"I have no idea about that. What about you, Fuji?"

"Saa…" Fuji said.

Before long, both the coach and Atobe were in the courts.

"One set match. Is that alright?" Nanjirou asked.

"Aa." Atobe used the Tannhauser Serve.

To his surprise, Nanjirou returned it to him easily. "Mada mada dane…" the monk sang.

Everyone twitched. That sounded awfully familiar.

No matter what Atobe did, Nanjirou beat him easily, and the game ended in 20 minutes flat, with the score being 6 games to 3.

"Convinced yet, Monkey King Atobe Keigo?" Nanjirou asked quietly.

"What did you say?" Atobe didn't quite hear that.

"Oh? Did I say something?" Nanjirou asked innocently. He just loved to see livid divas. It felt good to crush a huge ego indeed.

Nanjrou put out his cigarette. "Alright. Let's start from the beginning again. I am your new coach Ecchi Nanjirou, unless any of you would like to protest as well. Though I would prefer to be called Nanjirou-san. Now that I've introduced myself, it's time all of you did the same."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That was so surprising! Looks sure can be deceiving. None of us could match against him. Not even Tezuka-buchou!" Asakawa was saying as the regulars walked home that day.

"To be honest, I don't think anyone was playing seriously today. Not even the coach himself. I think it'll take some time before everyone warms up to him." Oishi stated his thoughts.

"I'm glad that we have a coach though, even if he doesn't look like one." Yamato added.

Currently, all of them were heading over to Asakawa's house. The red-head had promised to bring them over after practice, though Atobe did not want to join them, while Tezuka left early.

Fuji frowned. There was something about that new coach that seemed vaguely familiar, both his play style and his trademark line. Could he be related to that…nah! That was impossible. They were as different as heaven an earth.

"This way. We'll use a shortcut through the park." Asakawa said. He rarely had friends going over to his house, so he was excited.

Fuji frowned slightly. As they walked over to the park, Fuji hoped that they wouldn't be walking near the tennis courts.

Unfortunately, the sounds of people playing tennis made Kikumaru halt in his steps. "Oh? Are there tennis courts around here?" he asked.

"Hai. There is one, though it's quite old and not maintained. I can bring you there." Asakawa confirmed.

"I think it's better if we head off to your house…" Fuji began, but his best friend was already bouncing about excitedly.

"Lead the way then. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to see the match."

Asakawa nodded. "Very well. Follow me then." He walked towards the sounds, while Kikumaru kept a firm hold on Oishi's arm as he dragged his doubles partner there.

Fuji wondered how he should deal with this, for he knew who was playing, and he didn't want the others to interrupt them. Before he could come up with an idea, however, Kikumaru had bounced off.

"Oh! Momoshiro! Inui! What are you two doing here?" the acrobatic player gave Momoshiro his enthusiastic greeting.

"Oro? It's Tezuka-kun…" Yamato had noticed who was playing.

Fuji's eyes opened. What was Momoshiro doing here? "Inui! What are you doing here? And with him?"

"I was about to ask you the same question. What are all of them doing here?" Inui looked uncomfortable at seeing the Kanto High regulars here.

"All of us were just passing by to head off to someone's house. What is Momoshiro doing here? Isn't this place where Tezuka and Echizen always had their date?"

"Aa. I've gotten tired of the guy's questions, so I decided to bring him here." Inui replied.

"I don't think it's a good idea. There are too many of them here. We have to think of a way to make them leave. It's a good thing we're still quite a distance away from the courts. If Tezuka catches us, I think we'll all be hung upside down."

Unfortunately, the chances of them leaving went to zero as Momoshiro mentioned about Echizen's date.

"Ochibi has a date? Here?" Kikumaru asked. There was no way he would leave now. Both Momo and Eiji were the ones who were the most curious about Ryoma's love life.

Both Fuji and Inui tensed, and the motherhen Oishi seemed to have detected it. For he tried to get everyone to leave immediately.

"Why? Can't we join the both of them? Ne, Oishi." Kikumaru whined.

Inui sighed. "The chances of them leaving are 1 percent. Looks like we have no other choice."

"Inui!" Fuji protested.

Inui inched over to Momoshiro and spoke quietly. "If you want to stay, just sit still and watch. If there are any interruptions, I would make sure that you would not be able to eat another morsel of food in your entire life."

"I still don't like this..." Fuji muttered. For so many people to know at once, what would it be like for Tezuka and Echizen in the future? He didn't know how Inui could be so calm about this.

Tezuka and Echizen continued playing against each other, and Fuji noticed that many of the regulars had their jaws hanging open. He couldn't blame them though. This was how those two always played during their dates, and their styles differ completely from their usual play styles in competitions.

"They're so coordinated; they could actually be like us if they had played doubles. Ne, Oishi?" Kikumaru asked.

"Aa." This was the first time Oishi had seen this side of his best friend.

After some time, both captains decided to take a break as they stopped playing. Ryoma was speaking to Tezuka, who smiled.

Everyone's jaws dropped as the Kanto High captain bent down to kiss the Seigaku captain.

Kikumaru's reaction was instantaneous. "Hoi?!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, Kunimitsu. What do you think of your new coach?" Ryoma grinned evilly.

Tezuka smiled. "I'm rather surprised, but thank you."

"Well. I hope now the coach problem is one less worry for you…then again, since it's oyaji, he might give you more of a headache." Ryoma's golden eyes were amused.

Tezuka was touched by his boyfriend's concern, and as he looked so innocent and so cute, Tezuka couldn't resist giving the other boy a kiss.

"Hoi?!"

Almost immediately Tezuka broke off the kiss, his head turning towards the hedges, studying it.

"What's wrong?" Ryoma asked.

"I thought I heard Kikumaru."

That sentence immediately brought a scowl to the prodigy's face.

"Does kissing me remind you of another man?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

Tezuka immediately turned his attention back to his boyfriend. "I didn't mean that. Gomen. I must have heard wrong."

Both captains did not know that at that moment, no less than 5 pairs of hands were clamped over a red-haired acrobatic player's mouth.

To be continued…

A/N: Ehehe. So the Kanto High players know about those two. The Seigaku regulars would know much later though.

I'm not sure if in the manga, the others know about Echizen Nanjirou being Ryoma's dad. I don't think so though. As far as I know, only Tezuka knows about him.

I first mentioned about the Atobe family Creed in chapter 8 of this story. I wonder if any of you caught that. Well, hope this explains why Atobe hasn't done anything yet.

Please give me feedback regarding the original character Ishii Ayaka. Should I let her return in the later chapters? Or should she remain gone?

Well then. Almost time for the major angst, which I think might upset many of you.

**Please read and review**. **No flames please**.

-Gwyn


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. It would be such a dream come true if I do, but I don't.**

**Warning: Spoilers for latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. Angst in some chapters.**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen. Sanada X Yukimura.**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 10 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: Yet another chapter done, and the assignments are already starting to pour in. I'll need Tezuka's strength to juggle between the fics and my work. Wish me luck! Hehe.

**_Setting the major angst for both stories in the next chapter_**. Please don't **flame** me for it. Giving forewarning that the next chapter would **not** end happy.

**Liek Traum**, thank you for your reviews. Your reviews are very detailed, which helps me a lot with my stories. And nope, you're not snobby. I think my fics would still be quite dialogue based. Very bad with descriptive writing. :p

**arsenic-graffiti**, the headmistress is not really opposed to sports clubs. It's part of her plan, actually. You'll see. (grins)

**Harry Draco Malfoy**, not giving too much spoilers, but the major angst would be something far worse than rape.

**Crossover Masters a.k.a Arisa Draconis Malfoy**, I'm afraid I can't promise you anything. You'll see why in the next chapter.

**Yei**, Tezuka's parents would only be mentioned in the sequel. Don't want to put the focus on too many chars.

**xX Konoha Ninja Xx**, that was not their first kiss. Their first kiss was right after they reconciled.

**To all the others who have reviewed as well, thank you.**

**If possible, read Echizen, Our Buchou first before reading this. Life After Seigaku was meant to be a supporting fic.**

Kind of afraid to put up the next chapter. Maybe I should update _really_ slowly? Ehehe.

To the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 12

Tezuka walked into class that day to find different reactions from his fellow K-High members.

Fuji was smiling, as usual, but there was something strained about that smile.

Oishi was giving him a look that Tezuka knew was encouraging, but what was it that Tezuka needed encouragement for?

Both Asakawa and Eiji were giving him nervous grins.

The only one who was actually acting normal was Atobe, for he was busy fixing his own hair and checking his lashes.

Tezuka sat down on his place, next to Fuji. A full minute passed in silence, and he could still feel the gaze of his players on him. Another minute passed before he spoke up in a low, serious tone.

"If any of you have something to say, do so now or it's 100 laps for each of you."

Immediately all of them pretended to bury their face in a book, ignoring Tezuka's scowl.

Atobe snapped his pocket mirror shut. He too cast a glance at the members, and everyone gulped, knowing that Atobe was most likely using his insight.

After a while, the arrogant vice-captain gave a short laugh. "Have you been careless, Tezuka?"

The brunette turned to the vice-captain, his frown indicating that he did not understand what Atobe was talking about.

Fuji cleared his throat. "Tezuka...about that thing that only Inui and I know...well, it seems that the others have found out too."

Tezuka's face returned to its expressionless mask.

"Ah." With that, he went back to reading his books, and the others exchanged looks. Tezuka sure was being calm about it even though everyone had found out about his secret.

No one else touched that subject until after class ended and the pot-bellied teacher had left the class.

"Good for you though, Tezuka-buchou, even though that was unexpected." Asakawa gave his support.

Kikumaru winced. "I'm still trying to get used to the idea of Ochibi-chan dating Tezuka-buchou."

Oishi smiled. "I had a feeling that they were dating a long time ago, but I wasn't too sure until now."

All of them made their way to Atobe's limousines waiting outside the school gates, eager to head off for practice.

However, their group came to a halt at seeing the student council lingering around the gates.

Kitsune Mafuyu broke away from his fellow council members and strode over to the K-High members. He stopped before Tezuka and gave a mock bow. "Good evening, captain. Your team is doing well, **I** hope."

Tezuka said nothing, though his dark brown eyes narrowed slightly.

Mafuyu gave a small smile and went to his cousin next. "Still involved in your pitiful tennis? You know that you won't be getting any bonus scores from playing that game. The March examinations start tomorrow. Good luck trying to reach the top."

"Of course. If you would excuse us, ore-sama have much better things to do than speak to inferior beings like you."

Kitsune's eyes flashed angrily, though before he could do anything, Tezuka had stepped between him and Atobe. "Even if you're the student council president, I would appreciate it if you'd leave my club members alone." Tezuka's tone was neutral, though his sharp gaze caused a mild shudder to run through the headmistress' son.

With that, Tezuka led his players away. Mafuyu threw a look at his back, gritting his teeth.

"Tezuka...Kunimitsu right?" a slow smile spread on his face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hmm? The others know about us?" Ryoma asked as they rested after yet another round of practice together.

"Aa." Tezuka affirmed, now checking the strings of his racket.

Ryoma's golden eyes were looking at him curiously. "And?" he asked again.

Tezuka gave a simple shrug. "They're alright with the idea, though I think Kikumaru is a little scarred, but no permanent damage done."

Ryoma laughed at that, while Tezuka's lips twitched into a smile at the sight of Ryoma being amused.

"I would not worry about Kikumaru-senpai. He's pretty optimistic. I suppose he'll get over that shock soon."

"I hope so."

Ryoma remembered something else at that moment.

"Oh yeah, your exams are starting tomorrow right? Good luck."

"Aa. It's my favourite subject, so I'm not too worried." Tezuka smiled at Ryoma, who was giving him a rather envious look.

"I still don't understand how that is your favourite subject. History lessons always put me to sleep."

"I like to read up on events that had happened. Also, I'm good with dates." The meaning of his last sentence was ambiguous, causing Ryoma to blush.

"I do not doubt that, Kunimitsu. I'm having Geography tomorrow. Would need to revise a bit more on it tonight."

"We really should make one of these days a study date instead." Kunimitsu said thoughtfully.

Ryoma pondered that for a while. "Why not? I suppose it's more fun to study with someone else after all. We can have some drinks while we're at it."

Tezuka laughed lightly at the happy look on Ryoma's face. "I'll see you then." He promised.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

World History had always been his favourite subject ever since he was in elementary school. It was still his favourite subject when he was in junior high, and even now, Tezuka was breezing through the questions.

Needless to say, he finished his paper even before the time was up, and now he was checking through his answers again. The captain always made it a point to recheck his papers at least twice before handing it in after all.

"Tezuka Kunimitsu!" Suddenly, the examiner called out, causing everyone in the hall to jump in surprise.

The Kanto High captain looked up to see the examiner now standing next to his desk. The examiner bent down to retrieve a balled up sheet from the floor before opening it and reading its contents.

"Care to explain why this was under your chair?" he asked, throwing the paper onto Tezuka's desk. To the captain's horror, it contained short notes for the history paper.

"This is not mine." Tezuka stated bluntly. Hell, the handwriting looked like drunken earthworms. However, the examiner had walked off without bothering to listen to his explanation.

"I believe the headmistress would like a word with you soon. Cheating is a very serious offense in this school after all." He had a smirk on his face as he went back to the front of the class, writing down something in his clipboard.

"It was not Tezuka's fault. That guy over there kicked the ball of paper under his seat when you were looking, and you actually saw that, sensei!" Kikumaru protested angrily. No fooling his sharp eyesight.

"Be quiet, Kikumaru-kun. This has nothing to do with you." The teacher ordered, waving off his protest.

Atobe was the next to stand. "Why are you so eager to penalize Tezuka? You did not even bother to listen to his explanation! Ore-sama will not stand for this…"

"Sit down, Atobe-sama. You may be a young master in your house, but over here, you are only a student, and you would have to follow the rules as well."

"Atobe…enough." Tezuka ordered. The vice-captain gaped at him, looking furious, but Tezuka avoided eye contact with him. 'Don't let yourself get pulled into this as well. Their main target is you.'

It was only a matter of time before the student council came to take Tezuka before the headmistress, and all the eyes of those seated in the hall followed him out of the door.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Headmistress Kitsune wondered if she could implement a new system that made it compulsory for students to wear sunglasses to school, for Tezuka's severe stare was freaking her out.

She tried her best to calm herself down, wishing that he would turn those stern eyes away from her. It was as if that piecing gaze could see that she was somehow involved with the cheating incident, which was true, but there was no way she was ever going to admit that. Turning away from him, she took a sip of tea before setting the cup back on the table. Only when she was done did she turn her attention back to him.

"It has been brought to my attention that you were attempting to refer to your history notes during the exams. Please note that we do not take this offense lightly in this school, as we have a reputation to keep."

"I have not been cheating. As I've mentioned..." It was obvious the headmistress was not listening to him, and Tezuka might as well have tried to explain himself to the nearest wall.

After a while, she turned back to Tezuka, who was frowning worse than ever. She clasped both her hands together and relaxed back against her chair. The headmistress had also put on a very motherly smile on her face.

"I understand how difficult it must be for you, Tezuka-kun. The competition is very great in this school, and it must have been hard for you, having to manage a club and your studies at the same time. My nephew must have caused you a lot of trouble as well, so I'm not surprised that you're feeling pressured. I can see why you were tempted to cheat. There is just too much stress on you than a senior high student can handle."

Tezuka had a feeling he knew where she was headed to and his eyes were now angry slits, though the headmistress was looking resolutely at his nose. For some reason, the headmistress was afraid of his glares.

"I'm afraid I will not be able to go easy on you though. Even if you're in a tight spot, you're only taking the easy way out with what you have done today. You might fail this paper, you know."

She paused to see what effects her words had on Tezuka, and was disappointed, but not surprised to see that his facial expression did not change in the slightest bit.

"You really should know your priorities, Tezuka-kun. Studies play the most important role in a student's life, and your academic qualifications would be your ticket to a successful career. Why would you waste your time on games like these? I can be lenient with you if you would realize your mistake and bring your focus back to studies. Do not get distracted by your club."

She stopped speaking, for Tezuka had drawn himself to his full height, his glasses flashing.

"Basically, you're making a request for me to disband the club. Am I not right?" he asked, his voice full of suppressed anger.

The headmistress actually had the nerve to beam at him. "I'm glad that you understand."

Tezuka closed his eyes and took several calming breaths, while the headmistress waited for his answer.

After a while, the K-High captain opened his eyes. "I cannot comply with that request. I've made a promise to all my teammates, and I intend to keep it. We will make it into the Nationals, and there is no way I'm ever going to disband the club."

The headmistress got to her feet angrily as Tezuka made to leave the room. "Tezuka-kun. You do understand that you will fail your paper, don't you?"

Tezuka spun back, silencing her with the glare she hated so much.

"My priorities lie with my club, for I am its captain. I will not let the club fall as long as I'm its pillar of strength. Also, I've given my explanation that I am completely innocent regarding this incident. I will not submit to blackmail."

Tezuka left, and Kitsune scowled. "That arrogant boy..." she growled.

"**I** did tell you, mother, that he will not give in so easily." Mafuyu stepped up to her. He had been in the room all along, though he was at a corner, listening in on Tezuka and the headmistress' conversation.

"Be silent, Mafuyu! You should be grateful that I'm doing this all for you!" she snapped at her son.

She sighed as she leaned back against her chair, pressing her hand to her head.

"I don't think Ki nii-sama knows about the points from the tennis club not being added into the total score. Even if he did, there is really nothing he can do about it. Still, I don't want to provoke his wrath."

"**I** see. So you hope to disband the club entirely. That way, at least there is an excuse as to why the points were not added." Mafuyu shook his head. So predictable.

"Of course. Run along now. You're disturbing me." She returned to her paperwork. Even if Tezuka doesn't disband the club, she still had one more card to play. Things would not work in Keigo's favour at all once she's done.

Meanwhile, Mafuyu closed the door behind him once he had made his exit. 'I'm nothing but a disturbance huh...' he gritted his teeth before putting on his smug mask and walking away to the student council room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The results for the March examinations were posted early April, and everyone could see a huge difference as compared to the first two exams.

For one, Tezuka Kunimitsu was now at 12th place. He was not the only one, though, as all the L class students had their positions dropped, and only a handful of the Last students had managed to get into the top 20.

The one who had suffered the worst, however, was Atobe. His aunt knew that he always wrote his answers with very fanciful cursive, and this round, she deliberately got an examiner who couldn't read cursive at all to grade his papers.

Needless to say, he nearly failed all his subjects and had dropped to 81th place.

"Do you think they might have cheated?" Tezuka gritted his teeth as he walked past a few girls, who were whispering amongst each other.

"That guy, Tezuka. I heard that he cheated during the history paper. A person like that could actually be a club captain?" some boys snickered.

"The old headmaster must have been too soft of them. I heard that he might be in a relationship with their former class teacher."

"I can't believe someone like Atobe is actually related to Kitsune-sama. Kitsune-sama is a hundred times better than he is."

Of course, Atobe heard about the gossips as well.

"My aunt would pay for this. Such an insult to ore-sama's name!" Atobe looked like he was going to mow down the door and send all his bodyguards into her office, and it was a good thing the Golden Pair were now restraining him.

"Atobe! I have no idea what's going on, and why your aunt was so strict for the exams this round, but you berating her would only worsen things." Oishi advised.

"Atobe. Control yourself." That was all that Tezuka said before he left. Even with his well guarded emotions, the others could see that he too was affected by the results.

"I worry for Tezuka. After he had returned from the headmistress' office, he hasn't said a word about what had happened." Kikumaru looked sympathetic.

Oishi looked guilty. He knew about what had happened, since he was Tezuka's best friend, the captain had confided in him, but he had promised not to tell anyone about it.

Unfortunately, he was with the company of two of the most observant people in the club, and both Atobe and Fuji knew that Oishi was hiding something.

The two waited until after school before they talked to Oishi.

"Ore-sama believe that Tezuka had told you about what had happened. Ore-sama demand that you reveal what he had said." Atobe was giving the pale ex-vice captain of Seigaku his Ice Emperor stare, which he had found very useful for interrogations.

"Atobe. I don't think you should demand answers from him like that. Oishi, please tell us about what had happened." Fuji's tone was polite, indicating that it was alright even if Oishi did not wish to tell them about it.

Oishi had no problem telling Fuji, since he knew that Fuji too was a good friend of Tezuka's, but he was a little wary about Atobe.

"Don't worry. He'll keep his mouth shut as well. Right?" Fuji's cerulean eyes opened as he gave Atobe a stare, hinting what he might do if Atobe ever told it to anyone else.

Atobe nodded obediently. Even though he didn't know Fuji as well as the others did, he had a faint idea of what would happen to him if he ever got on the tensai's bad side..

Oishi was thinking about it a moment. However, he sighed and gave in eventually.

"Tezuka…was called to the headmistress' office because of the cheating case, and she gave the option to either disband the club…or fail the paper."

Fuji's eyes opened in shock, while Atobe looked stunned as well. "Then Tezuka…"

"Knowing him, he would definitely have chosen the club over his results. Tezuka is like that. His sense of responsibility is stronger than anyone else's." Fuji spoke quietly.

For a while, all three of them were silent, though Atobe was shaking with rage.

"Why did Tezuka not discuss this with me? I'm the vice-captain. Ore-sama should have the right to know this…"

"Tezuka would not wish for anyone else to know, for it would only cause unnecessary worry for the club members. This is his character." Oishi explained.

Fuji looked weary. Tezuka failing his history paper, his favourite subject. It was a wonder how he was still able to keep his mask intact.

"The only comfort I have is that not all of us were affected by this. Right, Fuji?" Oishi managed a weak smile.

"They tried to pull the same trick on me as well, Oishi…" Fuji corrected him.

"_Fuji Shuusuke! What's that under your chair?!" The teacher stormed up to his seat._

_Fuji's eyes opened slightly. "Ah, gomen, sensei. I must have dropped it." Very swiftly, the tensai picked it up._

"_Give that to me! You must have been trying to cheat as well!" the teacher sneered._

_Fuji, with his smile unchanging, handed over the crumpled piece of paper to the teacher, who opened it…and blushed._

_For it was a love letter from a random fangirl…_

"_Uh well, urm…keep things like this to yourself the next time." The teacher walked off, disappointed that he had no excuse to catch the tensai._

"I noticed one of the students kicking it over to me, and surely enough, the teacher called my name, so I merely switched the papers before handing it to the teacher. It was an old trick I had learnt from Eiji." Fuji smiled.

Throughout the exams, Fuji noticed that a number of students, presumably hired by the student council or blackmailed by the headmistress, had tried to frame him for cheating. Of course, they had failed miserably as the tensai wormed his way out of every trap they set for him.

His results were the only ones that remained unchanged, and he was tied at first place with one of the students from class 1.

"Things seemed to have worsened after the headmaster was demoted. I worry about what might happen next." Oishi bit his lip.

"I have a feeling this is not the worst of it. Be careful, Oishi." Fuji warned.

After some time, Oishi went home, leaving the tensai and the ice emperor.

"Your aunt is really declaring war against us." Fuji commented once Oishi was gone.

"Aa." Atobe folded his arms. This round, he was definitely in big trouble. His dad would not be happy to see his results at all, and since both his and Mafuyu's results were always reported to the board of directors of Global Industries, he had a feeling his dad would be pissed.

Fuji could roughly guess what was going on in Atobe's head. "I will ask Inui about what he could find out about this. In the meantime, we'll have to be careful." Fuji took his leave.

Atobe's eyes were icy as he thought of his aunt and cousin.

"You've gone too far this time, Aunt Kitsune." He growled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night, Ryoma had called Tezuka up as usual, and Tezuka tried to push his unhappy thoughts out of his mind as Ryoma spoke about his renewed friendship with Momoshiro.

"_He's still not entirely comfortable with the idea about guys dating, but I'm glad that he's making an effort to acknowledge our relationship_." Ryoma was saying.

"Aa. That's good." Tezuka accidentally let some of his emotions show in his voice, and he hoped that Ryoma did not hear that.

Unfortunately, his boyfriend was too sharp to not notice the troubled tone in Tezuka's voice.

"_What's wrong?_" Just as he feared, his boyfriend sounded worried.

Tezuka really did not want to tell him, but Ryoma seemed to have guessed it anyway.

"_It's your school, isn't it?_"

Tezuka sighed. No point hiding it. Even if he didn't tell him, Ryoma might hear of it from Oishi. If his hunch is correct, there was a chance Oishi might have told Fuji and Atobe as well, and he doubted Ryoma would be too happy to hear it from someone else instead of from him.

Tezuka told Ryoma about his results, and he could hear Ryoma swear on the other end of the phone.

"Ryoma..." Tezuka frowned.

"_Kunimitsu. Let's go on a date. Tomorrow, meet me at the usual park._" Ryoma suddenly spoke up, surprising the older boy.

That was unlike Ryoma. It was always Tezuka who asked to go out on dates.

"_The district competitions are coming up soon anyway. Let's use this as a way to practice…and for you to let off some stress. In fact, to make sure that the both of us play seriously, let's set a punishment for the loser_."

Tezuka smiled. Ryoma was encouraging him, in his own way, of course. He listened on as Ryoma mentioned about punishment to the loser.

"_It's a deal then. Neither of us would be allowed to run away from this_." Ryoma said.

"Aa."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Who knows what Ecchi Nanjirou...or Echizen Nanjirou was thinking about, as he made practice extremely long that day.

"You all really need more practice." He said finally, picking his ear and surveying the bunch of exhausted tennis players before him, though Atobe, Tezuka and Fuji looked like they fared better than the rest.

"Nanjirou-san…do you really have to play that seriously?" Asakawa asked as he tried to regain his stamina.

Nanjirou turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? Who's playing seriously?" He smirked, ignoring the disbelieving glares he was receiving.

"You can all go home now. I have a date to go to after this. Ja ne." the man hummed to himself as he left the mansion.

The word 'date' reminded Tezuka of his, and the brunette rushed home to get changed. Crap! He wondered what Ryoma would think of him if he was late.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

His luck was not with him that day as he reached home only to find out that it was laundry day, and most of his clothes were already being washed. He hurriedly put on a black T-shirt he had grabbed at random, his jeans and was out of the door in five minutes flat. Even though the shirt felt a little tight (probably the fabric had shrunk after washing) he had no time to change.

Sure enough, Ryoma was already at the park, and by the way he was now kicking absent mindedly at blades of grass, he had probably waited for quite a while already.

"So sorry I'm late." Tezuka apologized the minute he reached his boyfriend.

He expected his boyfriend to give him a retort, or say something in greeting, but to his surprise, Ryoma merely _stared_ at him so long it was making him uncomfortable.

"Let's have a good game, and don't expect me to go easy on you this time, Kunimitsu." That was the first sentence Ryoma had said once he stopped staring.

"Aa."

Tezuka had no idea what was wrong with Ryoma, but the boy kept getting distracted during their practice. He frowned slightly. Wasn't it Ryoma who had asked that they played seriously against each other? So why was he not looking at the ball, but staring at him 90 percent of the time? While he was mildly flattered that Ryoma was so devoted to him, he couldn't help being a little disturbed with the other boy's behaviour.

He won the game, of course, and did feel a little better once he had some of his pent up stress released during the game. He really had to thank Ryoma for suggesting this match, but first up, Ryoma had to do a punishment first, as promised.

Ryoma then conveniently suggested that they go over to his house, making Tezuka grin evilly. This was good. Ryoma would not be able to worm himself out of the penalty this way. Well, they'll head over to Ryoma's house in a while. He had to make a pit stop at Kawamura Sushi first.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Several days later, Atobe, Inui, Fuji and Tezuka met up after school. This round, Inui had brought Yanagi with him.

"We've collected the data, and we've confirmed that the possibility of your headmistress manipulating the exams this round is 100 percent." Inui was giving his report.

Yanagi flipped through his notebook. "There is an 87 percent chance that the headmistress has bribed some of the students and teachers into helping her. Why else is everything hushed up, even though the school system is getting more ridiculous. Also, there is a 90 percent chance that the headmistress' hold over the board of directors has something to do with monetary gains."

"Monetary? ...so…" Atobe spoke up.

Inui nodded. "Bribery as well. However, we were unable to get proof for this. We do believe she is getting resources somewhere, or from someone. There is no way she could keep the board of directors, the teachers and the media hushed up unless she pays them, and it definitely would not be a small sum. It's impossible for a headmistress to get so much money, so the question is, where does she get the money from?"

Everyone exchanged looks, understanding what Inui had just said. If they could get their hands on proof of Headmistress Kitsune's corruption, she would definitely be demoted, or sacked. If both Inui and Yanagi couldn't get their hands on the evidence, it would definitely be difficult for them to do so.

"I do hope we could find out a way for this, especially after what had happened today." Fuji's smile disappeared as his blue eyes looked dangerous.

"Aa." Tezuka agreed.

Just this morning, the headmistress had called a few of the L class student to her office, and Kikumaru had been amongst them. She had wanted to expel all of them from school for their 'extremely low grades'. It was a good thing Assistant Headmaster Toruwa had then intervened, making a plea on their behalf, and so several of them were allowed to stay.

Tezuka was furious when he saw how frightened the acrobatic player was the minute he left the office. The redhead was pale and shivering, and even his doubles partner's arms around him did not help to calm him down. Fuji had looked on helplessly, unable to do anything for his best friend.

With Tezuka angry, it affected the mood of the whole team as well, and now they were more determined than ever to expose her evil deeds.

"Inui. What options do you think we have?" Tezuka asked.

The data master thought about it for a moment. "Saa…unless you have some ways to gain access to the headmistress accounts, or the school's computer systems, I don't think there is any other way for you to expose her."

"Leave that to me. Ore-sama think ore-sama have an idea of who might be able to." Atobe suddenly spoke up.

"Who?" they asked, but Atobe did not reply them as he made haste to return to his mansion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Atobe knew this was a risk he had to take. He sat on his chair, thinking about it after dinner.

"Watari. Get me my phone." He called out to his butler.

His butler was back moments later. "Your phone, young master Keigo."

Atobe took the phone, dialed a number he had memorized by heart and waited.

'You've gone too far this time, Aunt Kitsune. I knew that you might resort to dirty tricks to get your son in my dad's position, but to get the whole school, and my tennis club involved in your plans, you cannot be forgiven…' he thought.

After a few rings, someone on the other end picked up.

"_Hello_?" the person asked.

"Oshitari. It's me." Atobe spoke up.

The tensai of Roshan High chuckled on the other end. "_Ah. Atobe. How rare to get a call from you. Well, to what do I owe the honour of your call_?"

Atobe steeled himself. "Ore-sama need your help." He said.

There was a pause on the other end. Oshitari had frowned, Atobe rarely asked anyone for help, and if he did, it was usually something serious.

When Oshitari spoke again, he sounded casual. "_I see. I suppose I'm flattered that you're requesting the help of a tensai. Well then. What kind of help is it you need? If it's tennis, I don't think you need help for that._"

"Of course not! Ore-sama's skills are far better than yours. Ore-sama need you to gain access to some…private and confidential matters."

That was a code that only Atobe and Oshitari knew, and there was another pause on the other end. "_I see. You want to resort to hacking? This is not the first time I'm doing this for you, but Atobe, do know that it's rather risky_."

"Ore-sama know the risks, and I'm willing to take it. Gain access into the Kanto-high's database, and into my aunt-Kitsune Miyabi's accounts. Give the details to ore-sama later."

"_Hai hai. I'll get to it right away. Give me a few days_." With that, Oshitari ended the call.

Atobe set the receiver back and allowed Watari to take the phone away.

"How troublesome, that power-hungry old woman. Oshitari. It's all up to you now…" Atobe said quietly.

It was now a race against time. Either they would obtain the proof enough to overthrow Kitsune Miyabi's rule, or their tennis club will fall for real…

To be continued…

A/N: Hmm…I actually managed to finish this. LOL.

Not telling too much. Angst in next chapter, as mentioned. Giving loads of forewarning like mad cause I really **don't** want flames this round.

Just yesterday, I spotted Fanta (Ponta) sold at one of my local department stores. I was highly surprised. Never knew that they actually had Ponta here, but since I was curious, I bought one anyway despite the bombastic price. Lol. Getting too obsessed with Prince of Tennis. Someone should really stop me before I get an Echizen Ryoma or Tezuka Kunimitsu alter ego.

I actually thought of making Oshitari a hacker when I was still plotting this story. What do you all think about it?

Alright then. Would take my time for the next chapter. Need to rest my head a little. Assignments…

**Please read and review. No flames please.**

-Gwyn


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. If not, I would have kidnapped Tezuka and Echizen already.**

**Warning: Spoilers for latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. This chapter ends with major angst.**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen. Sanada X Yukimura**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 11 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

**A/N: **I'm glad that you people like the idea of Oshitari the hacker.

**dimonyo-anghel**, lol. Procreating female dog of an aunt…very funny term. Pfft! Glad you liked the idea of the super tight shirt.

**Selenity Moon**, it's something worse than a break up. If you've read Echizen, Our Buchou first, I think you would know what that is.

**Kawaii-Gaara-Chan**, Fuji might be a sadist, but position wise, I don't think he really has much power to do anything. He's only a class monitor. On the other hand, Tezuka and Atobe can defend their club since they are the captain and vice-captain respectively.

**Kurai-hoshi5**, yeah. The trickster Niou would have been interesting to put in. But I doubt that he would just help the Kanto High players out of the blue. Has nothing to do with him anyway, so he wouldn't go through all that trouble.

**Crossover Masters**, don't worry. I would not start a story unless I'm sure that I can finish it, so I would not abandon this fic halfway. If I receive any flames…well…the most I'll just update _really_ slowly…like…a year later? XD . But rest assured, I would not discontinue the fic.

**Ohtori Choutarou**::cough::. Yeah. I've shamelessly borrowed that name for the butler. I dunno. That was the first name that popped to my mind when I thought of a butler, aside from Batman's butler Alfred, but I would rather take a Japanese name. :p

**Thank you all for your reviews.**

I give myself a two week time limit to type both my fics, but I might extend it. Somehow, rushing both the fics kills my mood to write as well, and I definitely would not want to post nonsense just for the sake of updating. I would have to be satisfied rereading the chapters or I would not post it. Am quite strict with my own fics. Hope you would all bear with me.

**If possible, please read Echizen, Our Buchou first for every chapter. This chapter would further explain one of the scenes.**

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 13

Atobe Kirie gave a sigh as he set down his cup of tea, the china giving a dull clink when he did so.

His younger sister was seated just across him, and her lips were pursed once she was done telling him about the results.

"So…Keigo had most of his points deducted because he did not follow the format for answering?" Kirie asked quietly.

Kitsune Miyabi nodded, trying to hide a laugh at seeing how easily her brother accepted her explanation.

"I'm sorry, Ki nii-sama. As much as I would love to help him, after all, he's my darling nephew, I can't do so. As headmistress I have to be fair to the other students as well."

"I know. I know, Miyabi. I'm not blaming you for this." At the moment, Kirie was overwhelmed by a heavy feeling of disappointment towards his son. How could Keigo have been so careless? This round, Kirie could do nothing about it as the board of directors too were shocked by the great drop in Keigo's position in school.

For a while, the two siblings did not say anything. It was Miyabi who had started speaking again.

"He's a brilliant boy. It saddens me that this should happen right after the tennis competitions…"

"Keigo's not the type to be distracted by his tennis. He's won plenty of competitions before this, and I've never seen his results drop like that before. Maybe something is troubling him." Kirie defended his son hurriedly.

Miyabi immediately knew that she was treading in dangerous waters at seeing how her brother refused to think anything bad towards his son. She decided to switch the focus on a different subject.

"I agree with you. However, I can't say the same for his club members. They are being a bad influence to him. You should see their results. More than half of the class were failing their papers, and even the club captain was caught trying to cheat during one of the papers. Fortunately, the examiner had caught him red handed and he was punished duly."

At that, Atobe Kirie looked at her. "Their captain…you mean Tezuka-kun?"

"Yes. That boy. I've always found him to be yet another brilliant boy. A model student. So it came as quite a shock to me to find out about what he had been doing. I wonder if he had cheated for the other papers as well."

Kirie bit his lip. Keigo had always spoken very highly of the Kanto High captain, whom he had regarded as someone 'worthy enough to be an opponent', and by how picky Keigo is with friends, that was saying something. Was his son mixing with the wrong crowd?

"Ki nii-sama. Atobe really has to put his focus on studies now. If he hangs out with these friends of his, who knows what his results for the next examination be like?"

For a while, Kirie was silent. Miyabi had a small smile on her face at seeing his troubled expression. He was so easy to read sometimes.

"I will speak with Keigo. Thank you for telling me all these." He said finally.

"Don't mention it, Ki nii-sama. The both of us only think of the best for Kei-kun after all." She got to her feet and wrapped her fur shawl around herself. Both she and her husband left the room, escorted by one of the butlers.

Once the Kitsunes were seated in their limo, Miyabi's husband Umi had a small smile on his face.

"I'd say that went well. You could be an actress, darling."

"Of course. There's no way Ki nii-sama would approve of his son continuing tennis now. Well. Saves me the trouble of explaining why the points for that sport weren't added into the total." She threw a sideglance at her husband.

"You've gotten another million transferred into our accounts, I hope."

"Aa. Don't worry about it." He reassured.

Miyabi smiled. Just one more card to play. One more, and her son's position as the next president of Global Industires was guaranteed.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Dear…calm down…" Catherine Atobe tried to lessen her husband's anger, handing him a cup of tea.

The more Kirie thought about what Miyabi had said, the more it made sense. Atobe really had been paying too much attention to tennis. He knew that his son had used a lot of his resources to rebuild the court, and knew that one of the mansions was now a common meeting place for all his club members, on a daily basis, in fact. Who knew why Keigo had to meet his club members everyday.

During dinner later, Atobe entered the dining hall, looking surprised to see his father home.

"Otou-sama. Good to see you back." The boy greeted.

He looked slightly wary, however, as his father did not give him the usual 'glomp-greeting', nor was there even a trace of a smile on his father's face. This was usually an indication that Kirie was about to discuss something serious with him.

Well, at least his father did not speak up while they had dinner, though the silence was making him nervous. He would give anything to have his father start cracking jokes at the table, just to get rid of this mood.

Finally, the dishes were taken away as dessert was brought to the table, and the cook had barely set down the Yorkshire pudding before Atobe when his father finally spoke up.

"Keigo. I would like to talk to you regarding your…results…"

Aha! He knew this subject would be coming up anytime soon. His father would have been blind to not notice the drastic drop.

"Your aunt came by not too long ago, and I'm very disturbed by what she had said. To think that you would fail 4 papers because of your way of answering the questions…"

Atobe had set down his fork, no longer touching his favourite food. "Otou-sama. Let me explain that there was a sudden change with the examiner, and was one who couldn't read my cursive writings. All these times I have been answering in this format and there was nothing wrong with my answers and explanations. If I had been following the wrong way of answering my questions, it should have been pointed out to me by now."

"I suppose your old headmaster was to blame for that…and don't give me that look. Your aunt has to be fair to everyone."

Atobe scowled. He had no idea what his aunt had told his father, but he had a bad feeling about this.

"Also…is it true that your captain Tezuka was caught cheating?" his father asked.

Atobe scowled. "He was framed! Why on earth would he want to cheat for a paper that he could answer with his eyes closed? That was his favourite subject!"

"Keigo. I admire you for the way you're trying to defend your friend, but please, even your aunt has found him guilty for it. You really should be more careful with your choice of friends."

"Otou-sama…!"

Kirie raised a hand to silence him. "Actually, I'm supposed to be away today for another meeting, but I thought you might be interested to know about something..."

The head of the Atobe family pinned his son a stare. "The board of directors have seen both you and Mafuyu's results, and they've made a decision. Once Mafuyu leaves high school, they would see to it that he enters the Royal University of Business. He would then be ready for the position as president of Global Industries."

At his father's words, Atobe felt his heart drop to his stomach. "Cousin Mafuyu...is chosen as the next president?" he asked disbelievingly.

Atobe Kirie ran a hand through his hair. "They've lost their confidence in you after seeing how terribly you've performed this round. However, I managed to persuade them to give you another chance, and to extend the candidacy period for both you and Mafuyu."

A shudder ran through the diva's body as his father pinned stern blue eyes on him. Aside from Tezuka, the only other one who could perform the perfect glare of death was Atobe Kirie.

"The decision will be final once the next examinations' results are out. If you perform badly for that one, I will personally ban you from tennis. Is that clear, Keigo."

"Hai. Otou-sama." Atobe was shaking slightly from both fear of his father's wrath and rage at his aunt.

With that, Kirie retreated to his study for a nice glass of brandy, and also to clear his mind. Atobe was left at the table with his mother.

"Keigo...you're still hiding your school's exam oriented system from your father, aren't you? If you don't tell him, he will misunderstand. Why not tell him the truth?" Catherine asked, coming over to her son to pat him on the head.

Atobe shook his head slightly. "It will be damaging to my pride if I rely on him for help. This is a problem I wish to resolve with my own power. Also, if he hears of how Aunt Kitsune runs the school, he might interfere, and that would cause his ties to be severed from the Atobe family. I do not want that."

Catherine gave a bitter smile. "You're a good son, Atobe. It pains me that there is nothing we can do to help you."

His mother sounded so sad that Atobe got up from his seat to give her a hug. "Don't worry about me, okaa-sama. I'll be more careful from now onwards."

'Oshitari...how much longer do you need?' Atobe wondered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kitsune Miyabi made sure the doors were locked before checking her accounts. She noted with glee that it wasn't one million deposited into her account, but two. There was a short note from her husband. "Birthday present for you."

'How sweet, Umi.' She thought to herself.

She looked up to find Mafuyu in the same room as well. "By the look on your face. **I'd** say that everything is going as planned."

"Of course, Mafuyu. In fact, you father helped to check out what the decision was for the next president. Thanks to my efforts, you're the most likely candidate now. You really should be grateful. I don't think many mothers would go this far for her child's needs."

"You don't know anything about **my** needs…" Mafuyu said quietly.

Miyabi looked up. "Excuse me?"

"No. Nothing." Mafuyu plastered a smile on his face again.

Miyabi frowned. "You're really being a distraction. Run along now…oh…maybe you could do something for me. See to it that you make a few copies of these and post them on the boards." She handed him a sheet of paper.

Mafuyu looked briefly at it, his eyes widening. 'Are you nuts?!' his brain screamed.

"Hai. Will deal with it right away." He said aloud before exiting the room.

Miyabi had a slow smile on her face as she propped her elbows on the table, resting her head on her hands. "Now then. What decision will you make now, Kei-kun?"

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"HOI?!" Kikumaru literally yelled as the L class students joined the crowd before the notice boards the following day.

"The dates of the April examinations were pushed forward to mid April? But…our District competitions are around that time!" Asakawa said aloud.

"Calm down, minna. We'll just have to wait until our captain and vice-captain return."

Tezuka, as usual had arrived the earliest that morning. He had just taken one glance at the notice boards before storming off to the headmistress' office. Atobe arrived 15 minutes later, and before long, he too went to join the captain.

So now all the regulars waited anxiously for the two. It was Yamato who first spotted the two returning.

"Tezuka-kun. Atobe-kun."

Tezuka as usual was the perfect picture of self-control, with his face expressionless as always, though there was a vein popping on his head. He had a firm grip on one of Atobe's shoulders, presumably to keep Atobe in check.

Atobe, on the other hand looked like he would die from high blood pressure any moment, with his usually cocky features now twitching with rage. "That hag…!"

"She refused to be budged with her decision, no matter how we tried to make a plea for the date to be postponed." Tezuka spoke in a controlled voice.

Everyone groaned at that. "We really are unlucky this round. Why would she suddenly push the date forward, and directly on the day we're to have our competitions." Kira sighed.

Kikumaru buried his face in his hands. "The exams this round are really too soon. I don't want to be expelled from school. I don't want to go through that again…" he was shaking visibly, and both Oishi and Fuji hurried to comfort him, with Oishi giving him a reassuring hug and Fuji speaking softly to him.

For a while, Tezuka was quiet, his eyes observing Eiji and the others. All of them looked like they were in a dilemma, with their eyes downcast and their expressions pained.

Taking a deep breath, Tezuka made his decision. "Minna. We will not be going to the district competitions."

All of them gaped at him. "Eh?"

"For this year, we will stop here. We'll make it for the Nationals next year then." He said, finality in his tone.

"Tezuka-buchou…" Asakawa gasped.

Yamato closed his eyes. "I understand, Tezuka-kun. There really is no choice after all." He said dully. It looked like going to the Nationals was really only a dream for him.

Atobe's eyes flashed. "No. Ore-sama will not accept that decision. The rest of you, put that thought on hold first. Come with me, Tezuka. Fuji, you're to follow us." With that, the vice-captain dragged the captain off to the clubroom.

Once there, Atobe closed the door behind him and turned to glare at the stoic brunette. "What…the…HELL were you thinking, Tezuka? How could you make that kind of a decision without consulting ore-sama? Stop here? There is no way we're stopping at this point as long as ore-sama is vice-captain."

"Atobe…" Tezuka looked sternly at him. "We do not have a choice this round. If it were something to do with just me alone, I can bear with it. But now, the whole team is involved. I will not drag the whole team into this mess. As captain, it's my duty to oversee their welfare not just on the courts, but also in school. There's no way I would let all of them fail just because of my selfish dreams to reach the Nationals."

"Baka! That's the dream of the whole team, not just yours alone! Do you have any idea how terrible a blow your words must have been to them?"

"Then what do you suppose is best? For all of us to skip the exams and go to the competitions? How many of our players would be kicked out of school then? And what about the third years? What would their future be like?"

Before long, it was a blown out war between the captain and vice-captain. Fuji, who had been silent throughout the exchange of words, finally opened his eyes.

"Enough!" his voice was so dangerous that both Atobe and Tezuka flinched.

The tensai's narrowed blue eyes gave them each a look. "Instead of arguing like this, why can't the both of you think up of ways of how we can deal with this? I'm sure there might be loopholes somewhere."

Both Tezuka and Atobe threw each other a dirty look before sitting down on either side of Fuji, putting some distance between them.

For a while, both were silent as they tried to think of a way to deal with this.

Tezuka finally spoke up. "There might be one way for us, a gamble, though it's not for certain. Tomorrow's supposed to be the day we draw lots to see which school we would be competing against. I will look up on the time and see if we can somehow make it to the competitions and back for the exams."

"This round, it will take us 15 minutes to the competition grounds and 15 minutes back to school by car, so we have to allocate half an hour for the journey." Fuji calculated.

Atobe snorted. "Leave transportation to me. I will see to it that the roads are clear for us that day."

Fuji severely doubted he wanted to know how Atobe would keep the roads traffic free, though for the super rich diva, that wasn't impossible.

"We had better not tell this to the others first. It's not good to have their hopes up just yet." Fuji suggested.

"Aa." Tezuka said, leaving the clubroom, with Atobe leaving some time later.

Fuji sighed. This was going to be a long day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The following day, during practice, everyone could still see that the captain and vice-captain were still frosty towards each other. Of course, this did not escape the Ecchi coach's eyes.

"Ah. Youths. Sometimes you really don't know what to do with them." He grinned.

It was almost the end of practice before Tezuka and Atobe finally spoke to each other…well…indirectly.

"We're fighting against Kourin High for the first match. The match starts at 9, while our exams start at 10, so we have at least 45 minutes to play." Tezuka directed his statement at his mineral water bottle, even though Atobe was seated near him.

Atobe in turn was fluffing his hair. "My drivers would be at the school gates to pick us up by 8. Tell everyone not to be late." He said to his own reflection in the mirror.

Both of them gave a yelp, however, when they felt something cold pressed against both their cheeks.

Looking up, they found Nanjirou squatting before them, holding up two cans of grape Ponta.

"Seishonen-tachi. Why not have a nice drink and cool down?" he grinned.

Tezuka was the first to recover. "Arigatou." He took the can. Atobe followed suit later, staring at the perverted monk warily.

Nanjirou grinned. "If the captain and vice-captain of a team do not cooperate with one another, the team would collapse. I was captain of my team once, so I know."

"Eh?! You were the captain of a tennis club?" Atobe's eyes ran over the messy looking monk. What on earth had happened since then to cause such a drastic change?

Nanjirou snorted. "You'll be highly surprised. A pity my team did not make it into the Nationals though, even though I haven't lost any of my games. Well then. Work out your problems and lead your team to the top then, Tezuka-kun. Atobe-kun." He whistled as he walked off, leaving the two feeling awkward.

Just then, Atobe's phone rang.

"This is Atobe Keigo, the greatest tennis player speaking. Be awed by my beautiful voice." Atobe answered the phone, giving the usual self-introduction.

On the other end, the person snorted. "_Honestly Atobe. You really should use a different line now that you're in high school. That line is growing stale on us. By the way, I have a present for you, Atobe. Look in your inbox later._" With that, the other person ended the call.

Atobe's mood brightened up considerably as he kept his phone back in his pocket. "Oi Tezuka. Looks like there is hope for the club after all."

The stoic captain turned his poker face to his vice-captain. "What?"

"You'll see. It's about time that hag was brought down anyway."

Tezuka had a rough idea of what Atobe was trying to say. He would just wait until the diva decided to elaborate further then. "Aa."

By the end of practice, at least both of them were on speaking terms again. Nanjirou smirked when he noticed this. "All right. That's all for today. I think you would all be pleased to know that I would be having my assistant come over to give all of you a last minute practice one of these days. Be sure to be nice to him."

Tezuka then took over from there. "Minna. Our goal is still the Nationals. Don't let your guard down."

"Hai!"

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

That night, Atobe opened his inbox as instructed. His eyes widened at what he saw. "This is…" he uttered, shocked.

For a while, he sat there, unmoving. However, a chuckle escaped his lips, followed on by another.

"Who would have thought that you would be so bold to do this, aunt Kitsune. This is more than enough to be your downfall, ahn. Good job, Oshitari."

Now, all he needed was the right time to use this proof against her.

"Keigo bocchama. Kitsune Miyabi-sama wishes to see you." Watari suddenly called.

Atobe got up from his seat. "I will be there in a moment."

He was led to the dining hall, where his aunt was seated at the table, with her son next to her. Atobe's mother was there too, and while her face was calm, she gave off an air of dislike towards her sister-in-law.

Atobe seated himself at the end of the table, since he was the head of the household now that his father was out on a business trip. He calmly led dinner, and everyone began eating once he gave his cooks the instructions to lay out the dishes.

"Kei-kun. I do hope you're well prepared for the exams this round." She started the conversation once everyone had finished their meals and the dishes were taken away.

Atobe gave her a calm stare, masking the loathing he was feeling for her inside. It was a good thing he had been trained since young on the etiquette of how a rich gentleman should behave, so putting up this polite facade was easy for him.

"Ore-sama will not repeat the same mistakes again, ore-sama can assure you that." He said curtly.

Miyabi's eyes were predatory. "Is that so? That's a good thing then. I was worried that you might put your focus on something aside from your studies again."

Atobe merely gave her a serene smile at that. "Oh don't worry. Ore-sama would know how to balance between the two, so no harm done."

His aunt caught his meaning, and her eyes widened. "Don't tell me…your team is still going to the competitions?"

"Of course. This is something ore-sama is used to anyway. After all, there would be people who would use dirty, _underhanded_ ways to reach the top. This is merely a hurdle ore-sama would have to cross, so it's nothing too serious."

Mafuyu scowled. "What are you talking about? Are you trying to blame us for something?"

At that, Atobe merely lifted an eyebrow. "Oh? I was talking about tennis. Or were you thinking of something else? Your conscience talking?" he smirked, giving a calm sip.

His aunt threw her son a frown. "Be silent." She snapped at Mafuyu.

She then turned back to Atobe, giving her light, false laugh.

"Forgive him, Kei-kun. Your cousin had always been an oversensitive person. It's just that your words did sound like accusations. Of course, the words of an Atobe family member carry a lot of weight, and surely you would not be making accusations without proof now, would you?"

At that, Atobe gave a polite nod. "Now why would ore-sama be accusing someone without _proof_? That would be unbecoming of me, wouldn't it?

Mafuyu had heard the hint in Atobe's voice and looked over at his mother worriedly, though Miyabi was not as sharp.

"I'm glad of that, Kei-kun. Well then. I believe we should make a move now. It's getting late. Good luck with your competitions and exams then."

"Good night, aunt Kitsune…and gloat while you still can…" he said the last sentence softly.

Meanwhile, once Miyabi was in the limousine with her son, Mafuyu spoke up.

"**I** think you might want to be careful, mother. Keigo's hiding something…"

"Keep your mouth shut, Mafuyu. I can't believe you said that during dinner. Do you know how delicate the plan is now? One wrong move and it's over for you. I can't afford to have you ruining the plans I made since years ago." Miyabi scolded before turning away from her son with a huff.

There was a gleam of anger in Mafuyu's eyes, though he quickly suppressed it. "As you wish then, mother."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The following day, as promised, Nanjirou had brought over his 'assistant'.

"Ochibi!" Kikumaru was the first one to react, as he glomped the younger, but equally tall boy. The rest were still looking at Echizen in disbelief.

"He's your assistant?" Oishi asked.

"That's right. It was by his request that I came to train the club, so I forced him to help out as well." Nanjirou grinned.

"Ch…" Ryoma lowered his cap.

"That's great nya! Come, ochibi! You'll be joining us for practice!" Kikumaru dragged the boy away to one of the courts. "Come on, Oishi! Kantarou!" he chirped.

"Kikumaru…" Tezuka frowned, moving to join them, but Nanjirou had blocked his way.

"What's the rush? I was thinking of having a match with you." Nanjirou's eyes had turned absolutely samurai-like.

Tezuka said nothing. After a while, he nodded. "Very well then. Atobe. You would play doubles with the rest."

"Let's not waste anymore time then." Atobe and the others made their way to another court.

Meanwhile, Tezuka prepared to serve. He looked up when he noticed Nanjirou beckoning for him to go over to the net.

He did so, walking over to the waiting coach.

"Tezuka-kun. I haven't thanked you yet for all the times you've watched out for my Ryoma. As I know, Ryoma has changed a lot after meeting you, and he has finally found his passion for tennis. For this, I am grateful."

"Don't mention it." Tezuka felt his face flush slightly at the praise.

Nanjirou folded his arms. "However, while I did say that I'm alright with you dating my son, I feel that you still need to earn my approval. We'll decide it on this match. You may only go out with Ryoma if you win."

Tezuka's eyes narrowed. "I understand." He prepared to serve again…

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"You really are a difficult one to beat, Fuji." Atobe stated as the tensai had managed to return one particularly nasty shot.

"Why thank you." Fuji chuckled, now aiming a shot at Kira, who in turn returned it to Yamato.

The game went on. That was, until Fuji detected a sudden surge of aura.

"Fuji?" Yamato asked when his partner missed the next shot, looking distracted.

"Tezuka is fighting against Ecchi-san right?" Fuji asked.

"Hai. So?" Kira asked, wondering why both Fuji and Atobe were now peering over at the other court.

They soon found out why though, for their captain was actually playing seriously against Nanjirou. They could see that he had activated the Pinnacle of Hard Work.

"Did Nanjirou-san offend him or something?" Atobe wondered aloud.

By the looks of it, Nanjirou was losing, as Tezuka's shots were very lethal and precise.

"Come on. I don't think we get to see this chance often enough." Fuji grinned, their game now forgotten as they jogged over to the two players.

It seems like they were not the only curious ones, as Kikumaru and the others were there as well. Fuji noticed that there was a look of horror on Echizen's face. He frowned. What was Ryoma worried about.

"Not bad, not bad. You're actually one of the better players I've played against. I suppose I know why did that boy fall for you then." Nanjirou smirked to the ever expressionless captain.

"About time I started my counterattack." He said, as a powerful aura erupted around him.

"That's…the Pinnacle of Perfection…! I thought no one else but Echizen has that!" Fuji looked shocked.

After that, Tezuka didn't really stand much of a chance. There was no way the Pinnacle of Hard Work could overtake the Pinnacle of Perfection. Tezuka frowned, now using the Tezuka Zone.

"It's the Tezuka Zone! He should have the advantage now." Oishi could be heard saying on the other side of the courts.

Nanjirou gave a low whistle. "That skill actually has a name? Oh well. Two can play that game." He too used the Tezuka Zone, causing jaws to drop.

"Just who is this guy?" Atobe wondered aloud. This was just like a replay of Tezuka's match with Kabaji during the Nationals, except that it's ten times more intense.

The score was now tied at 5 all, and before Nanjirou could begin his next serve, Ryoma had thrown open the doors and marched into the courts. "That's enough!" the junior high student was looking livid.

Everyone looked on, amused as the Seigaku captain was now having a quiet, but furious exchange of words with the Kanto High coach. Studying how those two interacted, it didn't take long for a certain blue-eyed genius to figure out the relationship between the two.

"Who would have guessed… What do you think, Atobe?" Fuji turned towards the diva.

Atobe gave his smirk. "So it's an inherited talent huh."

"What are you two talking about?" Oishi asked curiously.

Neither Fuji nor Atobe replied him, as they merely smiled knowingly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After practice, Atobe had joined both Tezuka and Echizen on a stroll to Kawamura Sushi. For once, his team members had convinced him to join them for dinner at this 'commoners' eating place'. The three had been the last to leave the mansion- for Echizen needed a short break from training all of the members in turn, Tezuka would not leave without Echizen, and Atobe definitely wanted to keep an eye on the both of them while they were in _his_ mansion. Of course, the others were not as gracious to wait up for the youngest, not with a starving Kikumaru and Asakawa in their group, so they went on ahead first.

So now, as the two were striking a conversation beside him, Atobe was thinking of how he should deal with the evidence against his aunt. He needed an opportunity to present all these to the media. It should be enough to get her behind bars, but just when was it an opportune moment?

Before long, they had come to a crossroad.

"I would have to get over to the other side. Only one week left till the District Games. Good luck, you two." Echizen said.

"Aa. You too, Ryoma." Tezuka nodded.

"Don't you dare lose to anyone else aside from ore-sama." Atobe smirked.

Ryoma gave him a golden glare in turn. "Hmm…maybe the next time I play against you, you wouldn't have to shave just your hair, but your eyebrows as well."

Atobe scowled, feeling highly insulted. "Bah! Ore-sama has more important things to do than to listen to insignificant subjects. Ore-sama will be walking ahead then. You two have your chat for all ore-sama care." He said, picking up his pace.

**_:::Around the same area, around the same time:::_**

"Kitsune-sama! Please! Let us drive instead!" Taki, vice-president of Kanto High's student council pleaded.

Kitsune Mafuyu had been in a rather depressed mood that day, and had secretly gone out drinking with his fellow student council members. However, all it took was two cans of beer to send him into a drunken state. His face was completely red, and while he had stubbornly insisted on walking without needing support from his friends, he was looking rather tipsy.

"Shut up. **I'm** perfectly fine so **I'm** driving." Ignoring their protests, he got onto the driver's seat. Exchanging worried looks, the others sat in the car as well just to keep an eye on him.

He did seem quite sober, as he was driving quite steadily. Though the alcohol was making him talk far more than usual.

"All she talks about is Keigo this, Keigo that. **I'm** ::hic:: sick and tired of hearing that ::hic:: name already." He complained yet again, causing his council members to squirm uncomfortably. Mafuyu had been saying the same thing for a while now.

"She ::hic:: doesn't care about me. She just cares about her ::hic:: ambition. If she's so obsessed with Keigo why doesn't she ::hic:: just adopt him?" he hiccoughed.

"Urm…Kitsune-sama…Could you please slow down?" Mafuyu's vice-president asked. The speed was increasing along with Mafuyu's anger.

"**I** am driving slowly, dammit!" Mafuyu retorted, speeding up just a bit more and causing everyone in his car to whimper.

"Let me drive, Kitsune-sama. You're drunk." The treasurer Soba pleaded.

"**My** clear is ::hic:: perfectly mind…"

"If your mother catches you drinking, she will not be happy at all…not to mention you don't have a driving license…" The treasurer yelped as Mafuyu made a drunken swipe at him to shut him up.

"She was never happy with **me** anyway…" Mafuyu slurred.

Just then, he spotted a familiar head of dark grey hair just around the crossroads, along with a brunette and a dark-green haired boy. The boy had then crossed the road.

Needless to say, under the alcohol's influence, Mafuyu definitely could not think rationally.

"**My** life would have been so much better without you, Keigo!!!" he stepped on the accelerator.

"Kitsune-sama!!!"

In his drunken state, he did not realize that it wasn't Atobe he was aiming at, but the brunette instead…

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The next few minutes had been like a dream to Tezuka Kunimitsu.

He had picked up his pace to catch up with Atobe when he heard the screeching of tires and the screams of people.

"Kunimitsu!" he heard Ryoma's warning, along with Atobe's "Tezuka! Look out!" moments before he saw the car just a couple of metres away from him.

The shock had numbed his senses, causing him to freeze on the spot as the car was about to hit him.

The next moment, there was a loud screech and a crash. Tezuka found himself lying on his side. He got up painfully, still disoriented by everything that had happened.

His mind raced as it replayed what had happened. The car heading his direction, someone calling his name, someone pushing him out of the car's way…

Ryoma…

His gaze was now fixed on the road, and a choked gasp escaped his lips.

For the boy was lying there, having been thrown a short distance away from the impact. His eyes were closed, and he was not moving at all.

A crowd of onlookers began to form around the scene, as many pointed and whispered amongst themselves. Tezuka was already running towards the fallen boy.

"Ryoma!" his screams tore through the air…

To be continued…

A/N: I hope that at least gave a clearer picture for the scene in Echizen, Our Buchou. Already can feel death glares directed at my direction…

Well then, Please **Read and Review**. **NO FLAMES PLEASE**.

-Gwyn


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. I only own my original characters.**

**Warning: Spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. Mildly OOC Tezuka. Very, very, very long chapter (Please bear with me).**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, Sanada X Yukimura**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 12 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: There would not be so much humour in this chapter, as it would take on a more solemn mood. Though I doubt it'll be angsty. I suck at writing angst, and my angst tends to end up comical. -.-!!!

**Liek Traum**, currently, I'm using Microsoft Word to be my beta for glaring mistakes. Ehehe. I tend to ignore the minor ones, or my updates would really be too slow. Hmm…DUI, at first I wasn't too sure what that term stood for. Thanks for mentioning.

**Yei**, yup. Watari's from Death Note, though I'm only going to be borrowing the names, not the characters. Crossovers require a lot of time to form a plot, in my opinion. Of course I was joking about the one year thingy. If I wait till one year, I would have lost all my mood to type already. XD . I'll see what I can do about faster updates. My mood for typing fluctuates faster than L finishing a bar of chocolate. (How fast does he finish a bar of chocolate anyway…?) Btw, since you're a Death Note fan as well, I would highly recommend this fanfic—**Mind Games**. Shonen-ai between Light and L. Very nicely written.

**Ria Sakazaki**, don't worry, I saw your PM and that sure counts as a review, ne? Thanks for your encouragement.

**black-winged Fury**, yeah, I've just written the chapter when I realized it was chapter 13. Coincidence? I wonder…

**Skyla Ladona**, (stares at people being flushed away by tears) O.o I am not guilty. I am not guilty. (whistles innocently, turns the other direction and walks away from the crime scene)

**DreamFreak336**, hmm…your reaction is the only one different from the others. lol. Thanks for your compliment.

**NE1410S**, whoa…give her Inui juice and drop her into a cage full of rabid skunks? Are you related to Fuji? XD . I am so tempted to go with your idea…

I am grateful that there were no flames this round.

Currently I've seen till chapter 334 of the manga. Atobe's new hairstyle… (throws up blood) However, Tezuka against Chitose's match is so cool. Tezuka-sama! Kakkoii!!! (rabid fangirl mode activated)

(Please try to read Echizen, Our Buchou first before reading this fic)

**Thank you all for your reviews.**

To the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 14

The news about tennis prodigy Echizen Ryoma hit by a car naturally made headlines for several days, and the fact that it was done by a member of the Atobe family sent the media into frenzy.

On Atobe Keigo's instructions, a certain blue-haired tensai had then seized this unexpected opportunity to drop an anonymous tip to the media, which of course got the Kanto High headmistress in deep trouble.

By the time everything had settled down slightly, there was only 3 days left to the District Tournaments.

Currently, Oshitari and Atobe had met up at one of Atobe's mansions to talk about what had happened.

"Ore-sama really did not expect this though. To think the reason my aunt seemed to have so much money was because her hacker of a husband had been drawing out resources from Global Industries." Atobe was saying, while sipping on his drink.

Oshitari folded his arms. "I would say he's a professional, considering he covers up his tracks quite well. I was lucky that he had gotten careless and I was able to trace the funds to his account. He had transferred the money to his wife's account, but was not so careful in erasing his tracks this round. Otherwise, I might not have been able to find the evidence you wanted."

"Hmph. Such bravery. I'm glad that woman is out of my school. You should have seen how angry my father was..."

::flashback::

"_I'm sorry, Ki nii-sama. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me..." Miyabi was weeping before the heads of the Atobe family, who had called for this quick meeting after they found out of her treachery._

_Atobe Kirie, who was leader of the heads since he was from the main branch of the family, stared at his sister with such fury in his eyes that she did not dare to look at him. It was those eyes she feared, ever since she was young, those very same eyes that the blasted Kanto High captain seemed to have as well._

"_Why did you do such a thing, Miyabi?" Kirie asked, his voice sad, disappointed and very, very angry._

_Miyabi continued to weep loudly, hoping to get their sympathy. In her heart, she was cursing loudly. _

'_Mafuyu! This is all your fault! Thanks to you, everything I've worked for had gone down in smokes. Keigo...you must have been the one to send those documents to the media...damn you...'_

_One of her cousins, Atobe Yuuko had then spoken up._

"_This is a scandal that would severely affect the family name. Kitsune Miyabi, starting from this day onwards, you would have nothing to do with the Atobe family. You will receive no aid from us, and we will see to it that you move out of this state by next week."_

_Yuuko gave a glance at all her relatives, and each of them nodded to show their approval. The punishment for those who smear the Atobe family name was to have their ties cut after all._

"_Onii-sama!" Miyabi turned pleading eyes to her brother for help, but Kirie's gaze had hardened._

"_One more thing. You're also stripped of your power as headmistress of Kanto High. That school was built specially for members of our family, and you've reduced it to such a terrible state. I've restored the former headmaster to his position. By the way, we've frozen all your bank accounts."_

"_Ki nii-sama...you cannot do this...you're not supposed to interfere with my business..." Miyabi had really lost her cool now, as she genuinely frightened._

_Kirie gave a bitter laugh. "The Atobe Creed does not apply to you anymore, and you've lost its protection, so I **do** have the right to interfere when I see fit. Especially since I'm an unofficial member of the board. By the way, you've really outdone yourself this round by bribing every single member of the current board. I think you would be pleased to hear that they're fired along with you."_

"_Nii-sama...please don't do this to me...I'm your sister." She clung on to his shirt._

_He pushed her away, disgust written all over his face. "You should have thought about that before you did all these." He said coldly._

_He paused a while to let all the news sink in before dealing the finishing blow. "After what had happened, a meeting had been called for at Global Industries. Mafuyu has lost his rights to be a candidate. It has been decided that Keigo would be the next President of Global Industries. He would be taking my place." Kirie threw a look of pride at Keigo, who had been in the room as well throughout the whole meeting, standing at one of the sides quietly with the other heirs of the Atobe family._

_Atobe threw his aunt a smirk, and that caused the woman to totally lose it as she lunged at him, though Atobe's father was faster as he gave his sister a slap, knocking her away from his son._

"_I'm already very angry at you for how you treated my Keigo in school. I will not forgive you for trying to assault him now. Take her away!" he ordered his bodyguards._

"_Don't be late for your trial. None of the family lawyers would help you this time." Another cousin called after her as she was dragged bodily from the room._

_::end of flashback::_

It wasn't just his aunt who was in trouble. His uncle too was charged for hacking, and Mafuyu was put on trial for drunk driving.

Also, because of all the chaos caused by the headmistress, the newly reinstated headmaster Toruwa had then ordered for the April examinations to be cancelled until the situation has calmed down.

So everything was working in Atobe's favour, as now there was nothing to stop them from going to the competitions.

"Oh? So you're the soon-to-be President of that company eh? You must be feeling relieved now that there is less trouble for you."

"Of course. Ore-sama was fated to be President ever since ore-sama was born." Atobe replied.

Oshitari shook his head. "Same as always huh, Atobe."

For a while, neither spoke up as Atobe sipped on his drink.

"Though I don't think you would have made it if this incident didn't occur." Oshitari stated.

"Aa." Everything was finally settled, but the price to pay was too high...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Several days ago

"Where is he?" Oishi asked as all the other regulars rushed to the hospital as soon as they had received that call from Atobe. They had been in Kawamura's Sushi shop when Oishi heard the news. Even Kawamura had come along with them.

Atobe met them at the entrance of the hospital, his face grim. "He's in the E.R. now. They're trying to save his life." He spoke quietly as he led the way.

Tezuka was seated outside the room, as were Nanjirou and a red headed woman, who was crying against their coach.

"Nanjirou-san...what are you doing here?" Kira asked.

The monk stared up at him, a weak smile on his face. "That's my son in the room." He said softly.

At that, everyone blinked. "Eh?" Kikumaru asked.

"Echizen Nanjirou, also known as the Samurai Echizen and formerly a professional tennis player, but had retired suddenly right before the Grand Slam title." Inui announced his arrival. Behind him, several of the regulars of Rikkai Dai (Yanagi, Sanada and Yukimura) had followed him here.

Nanjirou nodded at that. "Ryoma wouldn't be too happy if he knew that I've revealed that to all of you, but I suppose he would not be able to know that now…" The minute he mentioned Ryoma's name, Nanjirou shuddered and became glum again.

Tezuka had been quiet all that time, seated with his arms crossed, though the pain on his face was far worse than the time he had gotten his shoulder injured in his match against Atobe last year.

The ones who knew about his relationship with Ryoma threw a glance at him, and Sanada hugged Yukimura tighter to himself. "I understand how he feels..." He said quietly, having gone through a similar experience last year.

Yukimura gave a sad smile. "Sorry to cause you to worry."

They waited for hours, each of them with worried expressions on their faces. Ryoma was undergoing surgery at that moment, and everyone knew the risks.

Just then, the red light that was just above the door had gone off, and a doctor walked out.

Immediately everyone rounded on him. "How is he?" Nanjirou demanded.

The doctor looked weary as he shook his head. "It's too early to tell. We have done everything we could for him. So far, his condition has been stabilized, but he's in a coma."

The redheaded woman (Rinko, as Inui whispered to them) gave another sob, and Nanjirou patted her lightly.

"He was lucky though. He really would have died if the car had come at him full force." The doctor told them.

Inui flipped though his book at seeing the confused looks on everyone's face. "Kitsune Mafuyu had gone drinking with his fellow student council members that day. His treasurer and secretary were seated at the back, while his vice-president was the side passenger. I believe his vice-president must have slammed the brakes just moments before the collision, lessening the impact."

The doctor nodded. "His condition isn't really life-threatening. He fractured his right arm and his right leg, and he had a few internal injuries. However, he had hit his head when he fell, and we do not know the true extent of his head injuries. We've already removed the clotted blood in his head. For now, we can only wait and see if he wakes. Please be prepared in case anything happens, as there is still a chance that he might not wake again."

They spotted one of the surgeons wheeling Ryoma out of the room, and all of them rushed forward. "Echizen!"

The boy was heavily bandaged, and his injured arm and leg were in casts. He looked so pale that they feared he was dead, if it wasn't for the doctor telling them beforehand that he was in a coma. Ryoma did not respond to any of them, and his eyes were tightly shut, as if he was sleeping.

All of them looked at the Ryoma sadly, while Kawamura had passed out on the spot, and the Rikkai regulars supported him before he flattened Fuji.

Tezuka's eyes were haunted as he stared at the boy. "Ryoma..." he held his boyfriend's hand briefly before the prodigy was wheeled off to another room (Ward 13).

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The regulars of Kanto High paid frequent visits to the hospital, as did many well-wishers and admirers of the tennis prodigy. Already there was a mountain of gifts by Ryoma's bedside.

Ryoma's parents came here on a daily basis, though they were not the only ones, as Tezuka was here too. Somehow, the K-High captain had retreated deep within himself, and became unresponsive towards everyone and everything around him.

Atobe frowned at seeing the captain seated quietly by Ryoma's bedside. The blow to Tezuka was not one that the brunette could recover from so soon. It was just his luck that this had happened right before the Tournaments.

Just then, they heard more footsteps pounding down the hallway. "Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno entered the room. Of course, Tomoka was with her. Unfortunately, it seemed that someone else had tagged along as well.

Tina's eyes widened with disbelief at seeing the heavily bandaged boy now lying motionless on the bed. For a moment, everyone wondered if Ryoma's number one stalker was about to faint.

For a while the girl trembled slightly, and the next moment she had burst into her loud, over-exaggerated tears.

"Oh, My Ryoma! How could you do this to me? What am I going to say to all my friends? It would be so embarrassing if they found my boyfriend looking like this. What if you die? What if you're paralyzed? I don't want to date a vegetable…"

The next moment, a glass shattered against the wall behind her, narrowly missing her head. Of course, the girl screamed bloody murder.

"Get out…GET OUT!" Tezuka roared, having completely lost his temper and thrown the cup at her. Oishi, Kikumaru, Fuji and Yamato restrained him before he hit the girl, who was still standing on the spot.

"How dare you attack a lady like this?! Have you no manners?" the thick-skinned girl asked with a huff, though the next moment she was staring into Atobe's icy gaze.

The vice-captain gave a snap of his fingers, and five of his bodyguards appeared at the doorway.

"Gentlemen. Please escort this lady out of here, and get her on the next flight to America. Now!"

"Hai! Keigo bocchama!" Atobe's men dragged the kicking and screaming banshee out of the place.

It seemed like that was perhaps the only reaction they could draw from Tezuka, who was now seated quietly by Ryoma's bedside again. Atobe's frown deepened.

"Ore-sama will be the temporary captain for K-High, for now." He finally announced to all the regulars. There were only 2 days left now, and Tezuka didn't look like he was in any condition to play.

He gave each of them a glance in turn, and they nodded to show approval.

Atobe glanced back at Tezuka. The competitions were their main focus now. "We'll be back for you later, Tezuka. You had better be ready by then." With that, the regulars left.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The competition grounds bustled with the same energy as the one during the District Preliminaries.

Atobe's face was unsmiling as he led his team to the competition grounds that day, giving off such an icy aura that players from other schools wisely kept their distance.

Well, while they kept their distance, their voices could still be heard though.

"Isn't that Atobe? Have you read the papers? His aunt is now on trial for embezzling money from his father's company."

"So I heard. That family of his must be really twisted."

Before Atobe could bark orders for those insolent peasants to be removed from the area, he heard his name being called. Turning around, he found himself face to face with Gakuto and Oshitari, who had come to watch the matches as well, since Roshan High wasn't playing that day. Behind them, Kabaji stood between a grumpy Shishido and a sleepy Jirou.

"Oh? Atobe. You're the temporary captain? Where's Tezuka?" Gakuto enquired curiously.

Oshitari on the other hand gave a snort. "Hmm? He really didn't make it here, huh."

Gakuto gave his doubles partner a confused look at that. Alas for him, Oshitari didn't look like he was going to give any explanations about it.

"He's having a rest for a while. Ore-sama will see to it that he joins us for the future matches." Atobe told the acrobatic player.

Oshitari walked up to the boards and studied it, giving a frown. "Kourin High huh…If I'm not mistaken that team consists of two players who were formerly from Jousei Shonan."

"Aa. That's why for this round, ore-sama had to change the order a little." Atobe spoke quietly.

Oshitari gave a chuckle. "This should be interesting to watch. Well then, don't let us hold you up. We'll try to get the best seats."

"Ceh. The outcome is obvious. The winner would definitely be K-High. Right, Kabaji?"

"Usu." Kabaji picked up Jirou (apparently he had been sleeping while standing upright) and followed after Oshitari and Gakuto. Atobe then turned his attention to the last person to leave-Shishido, who was fidgeting quite anxiously.

"What's wrong with you, ahn?" Atobe's eyes narrowed.

"No. It's nothing." Shishido made his escape before Atobe could bombard him with anymore questions.

Atobe smirked. There wasn't a need to ask questions in the first place anyway. Being Shishido's teammate for three years, he could roughly guess that whatever-or whoever- was the cause of Shishido's anxiety was probably now having a match in the junior high competitions around the same time.

"Alright, listen up. I would be reading to you the order for the players." He told his K-High members.

XXX

Doubles 1 had consisted of Yamato and Kira, who had won their match against their third-year opponents, 6 games to 3.

The Golden Pair pulverized their opponents 6 games to 0. Kikumaru had made it seem like there was three of him on the courts, and the opponents were confused into thinking that they were fighting 4 players instead of 2.

Asakawa had finally tried playing Singles 3, and made up for his weak accuracy with his speed, defending his side of the court as best as he could. He too won- 6 games to 4.

Finally, it was up to Singles 2.

"Ah! He's playing singles again. This is bad…" a few whispers could be heard from Kourin High's side.

Fuji Shuusuke's smile remained unchanged as he stepped out to the courts. On the other end, first year Shinjou Reiji represented Kourin.

"I haven't seen you in a while. Not since the Jr. Senbatsu camp." Fuji greeted as they shook hands.

(A/N: The Jr. Senbatsu camp was the one in which they chose players for the US-Japan games)

"Aa." Shinjou said nothing else, being a person of few words.

"One set match. Fuji to serve!"

Fuji merely smiled and started the game, engaging in a battle with the tall Kourin High first year.

Of course, the tensai looked to be the stronger player, as he scored 3 games to 1. However, the next shot caught him by surprise.

'This shot…it feels heavy!' Fuji thought as he returned it using all his strength.

Shinjou then got into the same pose as he hit the next shot, and Fuji prepared to return the power shot. To his surprise, however, the shot this time was light.

"Out! Game, Kourin's Shinjou. 3 games to 2." The referee announced.

Fuji merely gave a smile. He had seen this used before. "Mirage huh. You're playing seriously now, it seems."

Fuji recalled how both Echizen and Oshitari dealt with the Mirage. It took Echizen quite a while the last time, but the tensai of Hyotei had overcome Shinjou's skill pretty easily during the Jr. Senbatsu camp.

He smiled. Well, Oshitari had backed off to the baseline, while Echizen had used his twist serve to return it. He would go with Echizen's idea. As Shinjou hit another Mirage, Fuji got into a very familiar looking pose.

"Quadruple Counter: Tsubame Gaeshi!" Using the spins with the returning swallow, he managed to nullify Mirage (it had been a light shot this time) and prevented his return from flying out of the courts.

"Game. K-High's Fuji. 4 games to 2."

Fuji smiled serenely at Shinjou. "Don't bother trying to use that again. It's useless against me."

Apparently Shinjou thought otherwise, for this round, his Mirage was a heavy shot.

It didn't make much of a difference to Fuji, who returned it with Tsubame Gaeshi again. Though after a year, Shinjou's mirage was definitely stronger as Fuji had to return the shot with all his strength.

"Game. K-High's Fuji. 5 games to 2."

With that, the next match begun. A short rally began between the two before Shinjou used yet another skill, getting into another pose with his arms crossed out before him.

Fuji recognized it immediately. "Deep Impulse! He hasn't abandoned this dangerous skill?" the tensai wondered aloud. When Shinjou used Deep Impulse against Ryoma last year, his shots had hit the boy terribly, injuring him.

Shinjou fired a very powerful shot. To Fuji's surprise, it did not aim at his body. Instead, the ball hit the very edge of Fuji's racket, knocking it out of his hands.

"That is my new Deep Impulse." Shinjou said calmly.

Fuji gave a chuckle. "This is interesting." He said to himself. Using the same destructive power as the old Deep Impulse, Shinjou had deliberately aimed for the edge of Fuji's racket, causing the shot to feel much heavier than it actually was. Well, he would have to think of something for this. He definitely couldn't use the returning swallow, as by hitting the edge of the racket, it also meant that Fuji would not be able to create enough spins to use that counter.

They began another rally again. Fuji tried his best to seal the game with his returning swallow before the opponent had the chance to hit his Deep Impulse, though when the opponent used that skill, Fuji's racket would still be knocked out of his hands.

"Game, Kourin's Shinjou. 5 games to 4."

Shinjou had hit yet another Deep Impulse. This time, Fuji held the handle of his racket with both hands, improving his grip so that he could hit the very powerful shot back.

"That skill of your sure was nasty. Oh well." Fuji had hit a lob, and Shinjou fell for it, hitting a smash.

"Quadruple counter: Higuma Otoshi." Fuji returned the shot, making the ball fall behind Shinjou.

"Game and match. Won by, K-High's Fuji. 6 games to 4." The match was finally over, and Fuji found himself glomped by his ever hyper best friend.

"You did it nya, Fuji!" Kikumaru cheered.

Fuji chuckled at his best friend's enthusiasm. "Hai."

Atobe was already headed over to the courts. He threw up his K-High jersey, and it was caught by one of his bodyguards.

"Good work, Fuji. Now sit down. It's ore-sama's turn to shine." He said, walking off as the referee called for the Singles 1 match to be started.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh? I've heard a lot about you, but I've never played against you before." Kajimoto Takahisa stated as they shook hands.

Atobe gave an arrogant smirk. "Of course. There are really few players who could actually be considered worthy to play against ore-sama."

Kajimoto gave a good-natured smile. "I see. I should be honoured then."

Kajimoto was to serve first. He threw the ball into the air, bent backwards completely, then hit the ball with such a speed that when Atobe blinked, the ball had already rolled out of the courts.

"15-0"

"His spine must really be incredible, to be able to bend backwards like that." Oishi observed.

Fuji nodded. "Back then, we were not able to see him perform as his team had lost, and Singles 1 was not played. I've heard about this skill of his though. L-Doru serve, where he bends backwards and launches his serve like a catapult. Even if Atobe's eyes are able to follow the shot, I don't think it can be returned so easily."

Kikumaru stretched. "I think if Tezuka-buchou were here, he too might find it difficult to return it. I might be able to though." Kikumaru gave a catlike grin.

Fuji chuckled. "I think there is one advantage Atobe has against Kajimoto-kun that Tezuka would not have. His ego."

Surely enough, as the referee announced the 1 game to 0 score, Atobe had placed his fingers between his eyes.

"How brave. Are you trying to challenge ore-sama with service aces? Very well, ore-sama will accept that challenge."

It was Atobe's turn to serve next, and Atobe fired a serve with glided across the ground without bouncing.

"Tannhauser Serve. Be awed by my beautiful skills." Atobe crowed at a slightly amazed Kajimoto.

This serve was unreturnable, just like Kajimoto's L-Doru serve. With that, their scores were soon tied at 4 all.

"This is the fastest, most boring game ever to be played by Atobe, I think. Are they going to use serves all the way to tie break? I hope not nya…" Kikumaru groaned.

Fuji gave a knowing smile. "I wonder about that. It may be boring, but their serves would allow them to keep their service games. Saa, Atobe. What would you do now?"

It was Kajimoto's turn to serve again, and once more, the Kourin High first year bent backwards before launching the L-Doru serve again.

To his surprise, this time Atobe managed to catch up with it and return it. Not perfectly though, as he had hit the net.

"Ceh. Just a little bit more." Atobe snorted.

When Kajimoto used the serve again, this time, Atobe successfully returned it as the ball rolled over to the other side of the net. Kajimoto then had to bend over and retrieve it quickly by hitting it upwards in a lob.

"Rondo to Destruction!" Atobe hit the racket out of Kajimoto's hands before scoring with a smash.

"Hmph. How naïve, ahn." Atobe had put his fingers between his eyes again.

The next round, after returning the L-Doru serve, Atobe proceeded to draw out the match in a rally.

"That's strange…" Yamato, who was quiet all that time, suddenly spoke up.

All eyes turned to him. "What is?" Kikumaru asked.

Yamato pointed at Kajimoto. "Firstly, Atobe-kun had chosen to draw out the match when he could have easily finished it. Secondly, notice how Kajimoto-kun has to bend forwards and backwards repeatedly to return Atobe-kun's shots?"

They watched for a while, and surely enough, Atobe had hit as shot near Kajimoto's feet, making him have to bend over to return it.

"Now that you mentioned it…" Oishi frowned.

Fuji on the other hand chuckled. "This is interesting."

"30-15!" the referee announced as Atobe had finally ended the rally and scored a point.

"Kajimoto-kun. If you don't keep your service game, you have no chance of winning against ore-sama." Atobe taunted, folding his arms.

Kajimoto started off with his L-Doru serve again…and the ball hit the net.

"Fault!"

He tried again, and once more, the ball had hit the net, scoring Atobe a point.

"His aim is off! How could that be possible?" Kikumaru wondered aloud.

"Atobe was up to his old tricks again, just like when he faced Tezuka. He must have used his insight to guess Kajimoto's weak point. As you can see, he wore out Kajimoto's spine, causing Kajimoto's accuracy to decrease as well." Fuji explained to his best friend.

"Game and match, won by, K-High's Atobe. 6 games to 4." It wasn't surprising that Atobe had won the match, as Kajimoto was worn out, and there was no way he could return the Tannhauser Serve.

"A battle of service games. I think Atobe's the only one crazy enough to do that." Kira sighed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Under Atobe's lead, they defeated their opponents and proceeded on to the next match. Before long, it was time for the finals, which would be held two days later.

"Hoi hoi! We finally made it to the finals." Kikumaru cheered as all of them walked over to the boards.

Fuji nodded. "Aa. Atobe did a great job as temporary captain. Now I can see why the Hyotei team had no vice-captain when it was under his rule."

"Let's win this and report the good news to Tezuka…well…that is if he would finally respond to any of us…" they all stopped before the boards, and immediately all their faces fell when they saw who their next opponent was.

"Ah."- Yamato

"Oh dear."- Kikumaru

"Looks like we have no choice."- Oishi

Atobe nodded solemnly. "We need Tezuka."

For there was a single line connecting K-High and **Rikkai Dai**.

XXX

"Tezuka, please get back to your senses." Oishi pleaded yet again to an expressionless captain.

It had been easy finding the K-High captain, as he could only be at one place-Ward 13. The captain was still seated quietly by Ryoma's bedside, having long retreated deep inside his mind to lessen the emotional pain he was feeling. Well, while finding Tezuka was easy, trying to talk to him was not.

"Tezuka, we need you to join us for the competitions." Kikumaru tried too. He received no response either.

"Tezuka-kun." Yamato shook him lightly.

The Golden Pair, Asakawa and Yamato were trying their best to plead for Tezuka's return. Atobe, Fuji and Kira watched their futile attempts silently.

"Tezuka…" Kikumaru looked like he was about to give up.

Atobe uncrossed his arms and strode over to the quiet captain. To all their surprise, he raised his hand, then brought it down and gave Tezuka a swift slap across one cheek.

"Atobe! Yamero!" The four who were around Tezuka hurried to separate him from the captain.

Atobe's eyes flashed furiously. "Hoi! Tezuka! You've won the position of captain from ore-sama, so you had better start acting like one, Tezuka! Or have you forgotten your responsibilities?"

Tezuka gave him a dead stare, not saying anything.

That only served to infuriate Atobe even more. "Tezuka! What do you think _he_ would say if he suddenly opened his eyes to find you sitting there when the District competitions are going on? Do you think _he_ will be happy?"

Tezuka still remained dumb, though something had flashed in his eyes briefly.

Atobe turned on his heels and walked towards the door. "We're leaving. There's no point wasting any more time here when he's not even going to answer. We'll deal with Rikkai ourselves." He told the other regulars.

One by one, they reluctantly followed Atobe's lead. Fuji was the last to leave, throwing Tezuka a worried look before he closed the door, once more throwing the room into darkness.

XXX

Tezuka had long lost track of time. Then again, he no longer knew what was going on around him after Ryoma was hit.

His mind kept replaying the accident, and guilt ate at him mercilessly. It was supposed to be him lying there, but Ryoma had taken his place.

For days, he no longer kept track of how many, he had done a repeated routine. He would come over to the hospital, sit and hope and pray for Ryoma to open his eyes, return home once visiting hours were over and do the same thing the following day.

Occasionally, there would be a lot of conversations around him. Noise, no more than that. He never quite listened to what everyone around him was saying. With his state of mind at that time, he probably didn't even understand a single word they were saying even if he listened.

That day was just like the rest; There were people speaking around him, though this time he could vaguely feel someone shaking him slightly.

'That hurt!'

Slowly, the room came back into focus as he pulled himself away from his thoughts. Before him, he could see his team members blocking Atobe from lashing out at him.

"Hoi! Tezuka! You've won the position of captain from ore-sama, so you had better start acting like one, Tezuka! Or have you forgotten your responsibilities?"

Tezuka had kept quiet. Atobe's angry words had somehow pulled him back to reality. True. He had completely forgotten that he was K-High's captain, ever since he had been swallowed by a terrible bout of self-hate.

It was Atobe's next words that woke him fully.

"Tezuka! What do you think _he_ would say if he suddenly opened his eyes to find you sitting there when the District competitions are going on? Do you think _he_ will be happy?"

After Atobe and the others had left, Tezuka had gotten slowly to his feet, his mind clearer than it was in days. The pain on his cheek helped to prevent him from going back into depression again, at least.

For the first time in days, Tezuka sorted through his thoughts, locked back painful memories and tried to regain some control over himself. He had really been unfair to his teammates this round. How many days had he been here? They mentioned something about the finals, didn't they? And Rikkai Dai?

He stared down at Ryoma's pale face, remembering what the boy had told him a long time ago.

"_Kunimitsu, let's make a promise! A promise between captains. No matter how tough it would be in the future, we will lead our teams to the Nationals."_

Remembering the promise, Tezuka put on his stoic mask once more as he leaned down to plant a soft kiss on Ryoma's lips.

"We will win this match. Wait for me, Ryoma." With that, the Kanto High captain left the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two days later-Finals

"Let's see…we have no reserve player for this match so we cannot afford to lose. Doubles 2-Asakawa and Fuji. Doubles 1- Golden Pair. Singles 3- Kira. Singles 2-Yamato. Singles 1-Ore-sama." Atobe read off the list.

He was not giving his usual smirk, knowing that it was very difficult for them to win against Rikkai Dai this round. 'That baka captain Tezuka…' he thought savagely. "No objections are allowed." He spoke in a tone to indicate that his decision was final, rolling up the list.

"Tezuka." Kikumaru said suddenly.

At that, Atobe's frown became even worse. "That idiot is still too busy pining for his boyfriend. He's not in the list…"

Kikumaru shook his head violently. "Tezuka!" he pointed at a figure standing at the gates.

When the limousine got near enough, they saw that it was indeed the Kanto High captain standing there. Trust Kikumaru and his eyesight to spot him first. Tezuka looked to be back to his old self (he had arrived earlier than any of his players after all).

Once the rest had gotten out of the limo, Tezuka gave them a bow. "I apologize for my behaviour these past few days."

Oishi looked relieved to see his best friend there. "Tezuka! You came after all."

"Aa." He glanced at all his team members. His gaze met Atobe's. The vice-captain didn't look like he had quite forgiven Tezuka yet. Then again, he didn't look like he was going to hold on to that grudge for long either. "You came after all. Ore-sama thought you would have chickened out."

"I will lead the team now. Sorry for all the trouble, Atobe." Tezuka said as his way of apologizing.

"About time. Well, I suppose ore-sama could do something about this list." Atobe replied with the indirect message of "apology accepted".

"Welcome back, Tezuka." Fuji smiled.

"Aa."

With the newly amended list, the K-High tennis club then checked in at the booth, under the renewed leadership of their captain.

"Saa. Yudan sezu ni ikkou."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh? Tezuka has returned? I thought the Golden Pair mentioned that he was injured and had to rest?" Gakuto asked.

Atobe snorted. "Ore-sama did say that he'd be back, didn't I? By the way, what's with that glum face, Shishido?"

The cap-wearing boy frowned even worse and crossed his arms. "Mind your own business, Atobe."

"Hyotei's playing against Seigaku today, around this time too." Oshitari explained, ignoring the glare Shishido threw him.

Atobe gave a snort. "Baka. There's no reason for you to be here then. Go on. Ore-sama have more than enough people here to cheer for me anyway. I'll send you to watch the Hyotei match on my behalf then. Give ore-sama a report on how Hiyoshi is performing."

Shishido narrowed his eyes. Did Atobe take him to be some kind of servant?

"Go on, Shishido. If you waste your time here you might miss _his_ match." Oshitari told him.

"Fine!" Shishido gave in and sped off. It wouldn't take long for him to reach the junior high competition grounds, considering his speed.

"Well then. Keep your eyes open. You should not miss ore-sama's match." Atobe gave a snap of his fingers, and the crowd began to cheer even as the game began.

"We will now have the match between Kanto High and Rikkai Dai. Doubles 2: Kanto High's Kira-Yamato pair vs Rikkai Dai's Hiro-Taki pair."

The two Kanto High third years stared at the two Rikkai Dai sophomores.

"Yoroshiku! Hiro Kaminari and Taki Isu at your service! Let's have a good match!" Hiro, the shorter sophomore with strawberry blond hair and a feminine face that could rival Fuji's in a beauty contest, chirped good-naturedly.

Both Kira and Yamato blinked at him, wondering if this was really a boy.

Next to him, Taki Isu merely shook their hands wordlessly. He too had strawberry blond hair, though he had masculine features. "Please take your eyes off my cousin, and if you're wondering, yes, he's a boy." He sounded so fed-up that the two Kanto High players had a feeling this had happened often.

"Best of one set match. Kira to serve."

"Kira-senpai! Yamato-senpai! Ganbatte!" Kikumaru cheered from the stands, and Oishi had to keep one hand on him to prevent him from bouncing about.

Tezuka had his arms crossed before him, as usual. Next to him, Atobe was frowning slightly.

"Game, Rikkai Dai. 1 game to 0." The referee announced.

"That was fast…" Oishi looked worriedly at K-High's third years. Apparently, Hiro Kaminari was as fast as his name, and had returned all of Kira and Yamato's shots easily.

(A/N: Kaminari-lightning)

"Get serious already, Kira-senpai. Yamato-senpai." Atobe frowned.

"Maybe they're too drawn by Hiro's appearance?" Kikumaru grinned.

Asakawa snorted. "Nonsense. They've had lots of practice just by seeing Fuji."

Game, Rikkai Dai. 2 games to 0" Once more the Rikkai Doubles had scored a game.

"Yamato. I would like to have a word with you." Kira beckoned the other third year to him. For a while, both of them spoke in low voices. "I understand." Yamato grinned before getting ready to serve.

This round, Yamato served, then both of them moved to stand before the net.

"Hoi? The both of them moved to the front nya!" Kikumaru pointed out the obvious.

"Well, this way they can use faster returns against that speedy girl…I mean, guy." Oishi corrected himself hurriedly.

"Game, K-High. 2 games all."

Yamato scored yet another game after 20 minutes, bringing the score to 3-2.

"They're good. Ne, Taki?" Hiro asked as he returned yet another shot.

"Aa. Don't worry. We'll catch up." His cousin said, covering for the feminine looking player.

Taki was a counter-puncher type, like Oishi. Once Hiro had returned the shot, he moved to the front and countered both Kira and Yamato's shots so fast that the score eventually moved to 3-3.

Every time Hiro moved away from one spot, the next moment Taki was already there, covering for him.

"3-4."

"Yamato. Back me up." Kira suddenly said.

When the next rally between the two began again, Hiro had once again used a speedy shot, then moved away and let Taki take over the counter attacks.

To Taki's surprise, Kira had come to the front and aimed a shot directly at his chest, forcing him to return with a lob. Kira then scored with a smash.

"Eh? Kira actually had a skill like that?" Kikumaru wondered.

"I see. A sudden shot to the chest would force the opponent to make an awkward counter before scoring with a smash, and Kira took advantage of the fact that the speedy player Hiro had moved away." Oishi observed.

"Hoi hoi! They were so careless with their formation. That's a terrible way to play doubles nya. Those two Rikkai players are really not up to our level yet." Kikumaru grinned. For a while, he was quiet. "Ne! Maybe we should give that skill a name as well. A direct hit to the chest, looks kind of like he's aiming for the opponent's heart."

"Heart Attack?" Asakawa suggested.

"…… on second thought I prefer that skill not having a name." Oishi muttered.

"It rather has the same basis as the Rondo to Destruction. Creating a chance to keep the opponent's guard down before firing a smash." Fuji said softly.

"Aa." Tezuka gave his usual reply.

"Hmph. Ore-sama's skills are much better than that." Atobe boasted.

"Taki. Aim for the other doubles player, the volley player. He's the weaker one!" Hiro yelled to his cousin.

"Alright!" So far, they had only seen Yamato play volley. To their surprise, Yamato had suddenly used a power shot so strong that their rackets were knocked out of their hands.

"Gomen ne. I'm not a volley player." He smiled good-naturedly at them.

"He's an all-rounder. Also, you made one more mistake. He's the stronger player." Kira added after Yamato scored again, ending the game at 6-4.

"They underestimated Yamato-buchou nya." Kikumaru chuckled.

"Aa. He's a very good player." Tezuka agreed, nodding to both Yamato and Kira when they returned to the team.

Kikumaru picked up his racket. "Let's go, Oishi!"

"Aa. We'll be going now, Tezuka. Atobe." Oishi said, making his way down to the courts.

"Aa." Tezuka gave the smallest nod, while Atobe folded his arms. "Make sure you win." The vice-captain said as his way of encouragement.

XXX

Meanwhile, Rikkai Dai's Doubles 1 pair were already standing in the courts.

"The time is ripe. I have all your data with me." Inui's glasses glinted as he stared at his two former teammates.

"Sadaharu. There is a 100 percent chance that you're very happy play against them again, and a 95 percent chance that you're itching to get your notebook. Don't even think about it, and don't make any miscalculations." Yanagi said softly.

"Aa. This time, I'll put all my data to use. By the way, Renji. Shouldn't you tie your shoelaces?"

"I was just about to." Yanagi replied as he bent over and did his shoelaces.

Oishi looked slightly intimidated, while Kikumaru was as cheerful as ever. "We're finally playing against you two nya! Be prepared to be punished by Kikumaru-sama. Don't expect us to go easy on you just because we were formerly teammates nya!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. To finally be able to play against the Golden Pair in an official match. Ii data."

"Best of one set match, Kikumaru to serve."

The acrobatic player wasted no time in displaying his acrobatic skills. "Too bad! See you next week!" he chirped.

The next moment, Yanagi was already there. "Chances of returning the skill, 99 percent. Chances of Oishi going to the net, 83 percent."

Surely enough, Oishi was already prepared to return the shot. "Chances of Kikumaru moving to the front and Oishi moving to the back, 76 percent. Chances of scoring on the right. 100 percent!" Inui fired a shot to the right, scoring a point.

With the two data players in the courts, Rikkai had very quickly scored 2 games.

"It's bad enough fighting 1 data master. Fighting 2 data masters is overkill." Kikumaru complained.

"Don't mind, Eiji. There would be a chance for us eventually." Oishi coaxed, making a signal behind his back.

Kikumaru grinned. "You're right nya."

As the second match began, halfway through the game, Kikumaru and Oishi switched positions. Behind Oishi, Kikumaru had used his seal step, creating 2 more illusions of himself.

"Ah. I was afraid of this. I've not been able to get a full data on this." Inui muttered, adjusting his glasses.

"Give me a while, Sadaharu. I should be able to figure something out." Yanagi said as he returned the shot.

Unfortunately for them, it was not just Kikumaru they had to look out for.

"Eiji! The left!"

"Hoi!" Kikumaru scored at the chance, now bringing the game to 3-2.

"Game maker Oishi. A very formidable opponent. He's now using Oishi Territory to observe for chances." Inui read out the data stored in his brain.

Yanagi turned towards him. "Well, there is a 65 percent chance that we will score the next round."

Kikumaru once again used his seal steps. To his surprise, Yanagi's gaze followed him. Inui too didn't look disturbed by his illusions. The two data masters scored when Kikumaru had left part of the court unguarded.

"What's wrong? You're moving rather slowly. I can only see one of you." Inui smiled.

"Kikumaru-kun observes his opponents carefully, and when the opponent isn't looking he moves from side to side at such a rapid pace that it creates an illusion. Well, that would be the data of the seal step." Yanagi gave his observations.

"Ceh! They've managed to overcome my seal steps." Kikumaru scowled.

"Aa. We'll have to do something about that." Oishi used his new skill.

"Cross shot! 100 percent!" Yanagi calculated. To his surprise, the ball dipped downwards, scoring quickly before bouncing out of the courts.

The next round, Oishi did the same thing. "It will hit the left, then bounce to the right." Inui calculated. Again that was wrong, as the ball bounced off to the net instead.

"5 games all"

"This is getting troublesome. By the way, I think it's a good idea to take off your power ankles and wrists. Don't you think so too, Golden Pair?" Yanagi asked.

"We will, if the both of you take off yours too." Oishi replied.

Inui chuckled. "Let's fight with 100 percent of our power then." The four discarded the weights and resumed their game. Yanagi used a high speed serve.

"Hoi hoi! You would not get past me nya!" Kikumaru grinned.

"Probability of scoring on the right side, 65 percent!" Inui calculated.

Oishi had moved there first. "I had a feeling you would be targeting this area, Inui." He used his 'Tracking' skill.

To his surprise, this round the data tennis player predicted where the shot would land accurately. "Too bad. I've already seen through this skill." He returned the shot.

"6 games all. Tie-break!"

"He has seen through 'Tracking'?" Oishi wondered aloud.

Kikumaru poked him in the face, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Don't mind, Oishi. Ochibi did mention before that your current 'tracking' skill has a weakness, remember? Inui and Yanagi must have spotted you throwing a glance at where you were about to hit."

"Now that you mention it, Echizen did say that before…" Oishi went silent as he thought about the junior high captain.

"We really owe him for helping to train us that time. Eiji. We must not lose."

"Hoi!" The next moment, Kikumaru had split himself into 5 instead of the usual 3.

"An upgraded seal step? Is this guy even human?" Yanagi looked shocked.

Inui adjusted his glasses. "This just shows how fast he's moving currently. Renji. Cover for me. I'm going to abandon my data."

Yanagi sighed. "There was a 69 percent chance that you were going to say that. Very well, Sadaharu."

"Nyuoooooo!!!!" When Inui abandoned his data, he played like a monster as he allowed his body to return the hits faster than his mind could even think. In a way speaking, the dataless Inui was actually more powerful than his usual self.

"Hoi!" Fortunately, Kikumaru was able to catch up to every shot with his current speed.

The tie-break went to an agonizing 39-40, with the two powerful doubles pairs pitting against each other. "Kikumaru Beam!" the acrobatic player brought the scores to 40 all.

"Kamaitachi!" Yanagi used his high speed slice, once more bringing Rikkai Dai in the lead.

"Moon Volley!" the scores were tied again.

Not too long later, Kikumaru stumbled while trying to return a shot, causing the ball to hit the net.

"Fault!"

"Eiji!" Oishi already knew that something was wrong. On the other side of the net, Inui frowned slightly.

"Ah! Gomen, gomen! I missed it a bit." Kikumaru apologized hastily, looking completely out of breath.

The game resumed, and Kikumaru missed again, hitting the net. "Doubles fault. 42-41. Rikkai Dai lead."

Kikumaru's four illusions disappeared as he collapsed to the ground. "Eiji!" Oishi was next to him in a moment.

"He is already at his limit, Oishi. That new seal step of his drained his stamina too rapidly." Inui stated.

"I can still play." Kikumaru struggled to get to his feet. Oishi helped him up as he slung one of Kikumaru's arms over his shoulders, supporting the acrobatic player.

"We forfeit this match, referee." Oishi declared, ignoring Kikumaru's weak protests.

"Doubles 1 for K-High is unable to continue. Rikkai Dai wins the match."

"Gomenasai, minna." Kikumaru's head was bowed as he reached his fellow Kanto High regulars.

Fuji patted him lightly on the head. "We're not blaming you, Eiji. You already did your best.

"Aa. Just get back at them if we ever meet them again." Atobe agreed.

"Take your rest now, Eiji. I will win this match." Fuji smiled as a wind picked up.

XXX

Meanwhile, right after Inui and Yanagi had returned to their team, they found that they could no longer pick up their rackets once they've set them down, as they were too exhausted to do so.

"The last time I've played such a tiring match was against you, kyojyu." Inui chuckled.

"Aa. There was a 50-50 percent chance this round, hakase. The Golden Pair could have won. I was slightly disappointed though. I had wanted to get the data on 'synchro'."

(A/N: Kyojyu-Professor. Hakase-Doctor)

"That is something done subconsciously. They can't use that skill at will, as they're still too new at it. It's something like the state of self-actualization, and requires a lot of practice and talent." Inui turned to see their vice-captain Sano walking down to the courts.

Both of the data players exchanged mournful looks. So much data…and their hands were too tired to even write.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Fuji served first. He gave a smile, then used an under serve.

As Sano made to return the ball, Fuji's smile became slightly wider.

"That ball…will disappear."

Surely enough, it was the Disappearing Serve. Sano's racket met only air.

"Tensai Fuji Shuusuke. Inui did mention your name before." Rikkai Dai's vice-captain spoke up.

Using the serve, Fuji kept his service game.

The next round, however, Sano tied the game 1 all, as he had used the very same serve too.

"Another tensai! He's actually able to copy Fuji's moving just by observing." Oishi gasped.

"Ore-sama don't think that is all." Atobe frowned, putting his fingers before his eyes. When Fuji used the disappearing serve again, this time Sano countered it perfectly, breaking Fuji's service game.

"He has the ability to analyse your skills, then either use that observation to copy the skill, or to come up with a counter attack." Atobe finally said after using his insight.

When Sano used the Disappearing Serve again, Fuji countered. "I've created this skill, so of course I would know how to counter it." Fuji said with his ever-present smile. He used Hakugei next.

It took Sano a little longer to figure this one out, and by the time he did, the wind had died out already.

"Mou, that Fuji isn't playing seriously." Kikumaru frowned.

"This is Fuji we're talking about. He plays according to the opponent's strength, unless Sano does something to offend him." Oishi sighed.

Fuji won the next game with the Returning Swallow. Surely enough, Sano copied it, though Fuji returned it easily. "Gomen. That wasn't the real Tsubama Gaeshi I had just shown you, so you're using the wrong stance. The real Tsubame Geashi's shot glides along the ground at an even faster rate. Like this." Fuji hit his real counter, and Sano could not return it at all.

Obviously, Fuji's sadistic way of playing had angered the other boy. His next serve had such a powerful spin that it looked like it was twisting and gliding in mid-air as it evaded Fuji's reach.

"The way the ball moves…it's kind of like a snake…no…a dragon?" Kikumaru rubbed his eyes.

"Ryuu." Sano declared at a still smiling Fuji.

(A/N: Ryuu—Dragon)

There was no way to counter that skill either, as it kept snaking away from Fuji. The K-High's tensai finally opened his eyes as the scores were now 4-5, and Rikkai Dai was leading.

"Looks like I have no choice. Fourth counter-Kagerou Zutsumi (Dragonfly Illusion)." He nullified the spins on the ball before returning it.

Fuji successfully countered the skill, and when Sano tried to return the shot, he realized he couldn't judge the ball's actual position. By the time he swung his racket, the ball had already shot past his left ear.

"Kagerou Zutsumi. Fuji nullifies all spins from the opponent's shot before returning it, and as the ball is now devoid of spin, it gives of the illusion that the ball is further than it actually is." Oishi said.

Kikumaru turned to look at him, confused. "Since when do you start sounding like Inui?"

"Ah. I've asked Inui about this last year, after Fuji used this same counter against the Habu skill of Higa Chuu's Hirakoba Rin." Oishi explained, looking sheepish.

With the counter, Fuji secured his match against Sano, 7 games to 5.

"That was a good match. I hope that we would be able to play against each other again someday." Sano said as they shook hands.

"Saa…" Fuji chuckled in reply.

XXX

Next up was Singles 2. Kanto High's Ice Emperor now made his way down to the courts in slow, deliberate steps. Already, Roshan High's students who were there to watch had already begun a chant.

"The winner is Kanto High. The loser is Rikkai Dai. The winner is Kanto High. The loser is Rikkai Dai."

Reaching the courts, and facing Rikkai Dai's Sanada Genichirou, Atobe lifted a hand, and the chant changed.

"The winner is Atobe, the loser is Sanada. The winner is Atobe, the loser is Sanada. The winner is…" Atobe snapped his fingers and threw his jersey in the air…

"AH-CHOO!"

Silence fell upon the courts. While the chants had been going on, Sanada had one hand extended, as he was waiting for Atobe to be done with his self-exaltation, shake his hand and they could start the match. Now, Sanada had leapt back looking disgusted, wiping his hand on his shorts.

'Yarou…someone is talking about ore-sama behind my back…if ore-sama find out who it is, that person is so dead.' Atobe thought savagely, upset that his chant was ruined.

He looked at a very livid Sanada. "Ah. Sorry about that. Ore-sama usually don't do such unrefined actions."

"You're dead, Atobe." Sanada did not go easy on him at all as he used his Invisible Serve, immediately scoring 1-0.

Atobe repaid the favour by using the Tannhauser Serve, causing a replay of his and Kajimoto's match as they kept their service games.

Once the scores were tied at 4, Sanada returned the Tannhauser Serve. "Too slow!" he gloated. Having once played doubles with Atobe, he roughly knew the weak point of Atobe's serve.

Atobe scowled, using the Tannhauser serve again. "Fault!" The side-effects of the serve were starting to kick in as Atobe's shot hit the net.

"Such a cunning guy, Sanada. The Tannhauser Serve glides on the ground without a bounce, and thus it is almost impossible to return it. However, it gives a tremendous strain on the user's shoulders and arms. Sanada must have lured Atobe into a battle of using only serves to tire him." Fuji frowned.

"Aa." Tezuka gave his usual single syllable reply.

"I believe in Atobe. His pride would not allow him to lose." Oishi said confidently.

All of them turned their attention back to the match.

Atobe gritted his teeth, giving Sanada an icy glare. So far, he had never won any of his matches against Rikkai Dai's Emperor. With a roar, he used the Tannhauser Serve again, but this time it bounced, and Sanada was able to return it.

"Your strength is failing you, Atobe. You had better give up now. There is no way you can win against me." Sanada warned, firing a smash.

"Higuma Otoshi!" Atobe countered perfectly, scoring a point.

Atobe ran a hand though his hair and held his head up high. "Ore-sama will never give up. Ore-sama have to defeat you first before I even think about doing that." He used another serve.

Once again, Sanada countered it. "Didn't I say before that your serve is now useless against me? You're too naïve, Atobe. With that level of tennis, don't even think about defeating me." He used the invisible swing to score yet another game.

The next round when he used the Invisible Serve, Atobe managed to return it. "Too bad. Your serve would not work on ore-sama either. My eyes are already used to the speed." With that, it became an all-out rally between the two Emperors.

Everyone watched as the match eventually went into tie-break. Sanada was using his strength to try and crush Atobe's shots. Atobe's pride saw to it that Sanada didn't gain a 2 point head start.

However, when the final score was announced, Rikkai Dai had won 7-6, as Atobe was already fatigued from using the Tannhauser Serve repeatedly.

XXX

"Don't mind, Atobe fukubuchou." Asakawa coaxed.

"You did your best, Atobe. None of us are blaming you." Yamato too tried to give words of encouragement.

There were storm clouds above Atobe's head. He hated losing more than anything else, and this match had left his pride severely wounded.

A hand landed on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Tezuka standing next to him.

"You did a fine job, Atobe. As captain, I am grateful." The brunette said solemnly. "Leave the rest to me." The Kanto High captain said before heading down for Singles 1.

It was finally down to the battle between the two strongest senior high players. On the other side of the net, Yukimura gave Tezuka a gentle, sympathetic smile. "Tezuka, how are you doing now?" he asked, roughly guessing the real reason as to why the Kanto High captain had been absent from so many of the previous matches.

A look of pain flashed past Tezuka's face, though it disappeared almost immediately as Tezuka's mask remained intact.

"I'm fine. Arigatou." Tezuka said, shaking Yukimura's hand.

"Don't hold back, Yukimura." Tezuka said.

The match soon began, and the rally between the two was definitely not one of senior high level.

Both were playing offensive, and at the same time they were fiercely defending their sides of the court. Neither of the two used fanciful skills. There was no need to, as the match was now a matter of attacks and returns.

Tezuka seemed to be at a disadvantage though. His teammates could see that he was not up to his usual level, and the match became rather one-sided.

"He hasn't recovered after all…Tezuka-buchou." Asakawa groaned.

Oishi's expression became one of worry. "Tezuka…I don't think he had a decent rest in days, since he was at the hospital most of the time. For the sake of the club, he's forcing himself to play, even though he is physically tired. In fact, I believe the mental fatigue he's suffering now is far worse than the exhaustion his body feels. There is no way he can win, since he's too tired to use the state of self-actualization."

"Ore-sama would not say so. Yukimura is not at his best condition either. He had just recovered from a major operation late last year. I doubt he'd use the state of self-actualization." Atobe reassured his team.

Tezuka could feel his body protesting as he used the Tezuka Zone. Yukimura dissolved the Zone within moments, bringing the scores to 5-3.

Though after another fierce rally, Tezuka managed to bring the game to 5-4. However, after that, he felt too tired to continue on with the game.

'He's too powerful! There's no way I can defeat him at this rate! I'm too tired…' Tezuka struggled to keep his already fatigued mind focused. It wouldn't do for him to have such disheartening thoughts. He would not let them lose here. Not when he had already made a promise…

"_Kunimitsu_." A familiar voice rang in his memory.

Once more, Tezuka found himself standing before Ryoma, who was smiling slightly. "_I believe in you, Kunimitsu. When you play seriously, I don't think anyone can stand against you._"

Ryoma walked over and touched his face lightly. "_Ganbatte._"

With that, Tezuka's flashback ended as he was brought back to the game. Yukimura had just served, and this time, Tezuka returned it cleanly over the net.

"Saa…yudan sezu ni ikkou." He said, his eyes blazing with new determination and strength.

They fought all the way to tie break, and Tezuka drew upon what's left of his energy to finish the match. Even though his brain felt like it would shut down any moment from exhaustion, he stubbornly pressed on with pure determination to win.

"Tezuka…" Oishi squeaked at seeing how the captain played on. Atobe's eyes widened, while Fuji's eyes were open.

He scored again, bringing Kanto High in the lead, 51-50. "Kanto High will go to the Nationals!" He fired a smash, draining what was left of his energy.

The ball hit the ground, as did Tezuka, whose body could no longer take the strain. Opening his eyes weakly, he could see Yukimura standing before the net.

"Game and match! Won by…"

"Omedetou, Tezuka. You won…" Yukimura smiled. Tezuka vaguely registered that in his head before he blacked out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, in ward 13, all was silent except for the steady beep coming from the machine.

On the bed, a certain green-haired captain's fingers moved ever so slightly. "Mada mada dane…" he whispered, smiling faintly.

To be continued…

A/N: Finally finished this! (Burst out in relieved tears) I was so afraid that I might exceed my two-week time limit this round.

Warui. It is pretty long winded, this chapter. Was already trying to cut down on words like mad since it had exceeded 30 pages in Microsoft Word.

Really sorry about the late update. I had a hard time trying to be satisfied when I reread this thing. Writing the matches really killed off half my brain cells. Was so tempted to just write. "Kanto High VS Rikkai Dai. Kanto High won, and here are the scores. Doubles 2:6-4, Doubles 1:7-6…The End."

One of the OCs is gone for good now, so feel free to kidnap her or adopt her.

The next chapter would not be up so soon. Would be away for the Chinese New Year holidays. Wonder how many red packets would I get this round. Kekeke.

**Please Read and Review. No flames please.**

-Gwyn


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. I only own my original chars.**

**Warning: Mild spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. Also, I tend to write very long chapters.**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen. Sanada X Yukimura. Hints of Golden Pair in this chapter.**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 13 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: Now then. I can have some fun for the next few chappies before the Kantou Tournaments.

**Sakura Moon**, (replying to both Echizen, Our Buchou and Life After Seigaku) Yup. That's her on the plane. As for all three of your questions. Ufufufu…not going to give spoilers, but all would be answered in the chapters to come. I like FujiRyo fics…well, After TezuRyo and AtoRyo, that is, but I won't be writing any. Not very good at capturing Fuji's characteristics, so I don't think I can keep him in character if I do write a fic with him as the main char.

**mimikitty** and **Yei**, thank you for mentioning about the mistake I made about Yamato. Have already corrected and replaced the chapter.

**string bean**, withdrawal? So sorry about that. I'll try my best to update. Don't worry. Won't discontinue the fic. But I'm afraid in the future, I might take an even longer time to update thanks to all the assignments. Would only be able to update more constantly once the exams are over.

**Yuki Amane**, that scene would only appear before the Nationals, and only in Echizen, Our Buchou. Maybe I shouldn't have given you that much spoilers…ufufufu…ganbatte with our assignments. We'll both need it.

**phppsmsss**, oro? I think you've missed out the ending of the previous chappie. Echizen has already regained consciousness.

**MissSilver**, (chuckles). Gomen. You're definitely one of the victims of my sadistic 'fake' A/N. Ryoma's not dead.

**Harry Draco Malfoy**, hmm…imagine if Fuji really did bring his cacti. Tezuka throwing the cactus instead of the glass at Tina…omg…I don't even want to picture that… I hope the Tezuka blowing-up part wasn't too extreme.

**Thank you all for your reviews**

Currently in shock after seeing the latest manga chapter. Looks like Tezuka is the closest to opening the third door. He actually has both the Pinnacle of Hard Work and the Pinnacle of Great Wisdom. Omg omg omg…

Ryoma is really mada mada dane compared to Tezuka…

Alright then. To the story…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 15

When Tezuka regained consciousness, he found himself lying on a bed, and the first thing that came to his mind was white.

White walls, white bed, white curtains.

'I'm in a hospital.' His mind quickly deduced.

A blur came before his line of vision. "Tezuka! You're finally awake!" a relieved voice said. Oishi's voice.

"Aa." Tezuka reached around and found his glasses on the table next to the bed. He put them on and the whole room came to a clearer focus.

Oishi was standing right before him. Atobe and Fuji were in the room as well, standing near the door.

"You should be feeling more refreshed now, Tezuka. You were sleeping so soundly, I think your snores could be heard a few blocks away." Atobe stated, smirking.

Tezuka frowned. "I don't snore." 'Not loudly anyway.' His mind added.

For a while his mind was blank, still slightly foggy as he had just awakened. He had been sleeping. Why had he been sleeping? As he sat there thinking about it, the competitions returned to his memory.

"You collapsed right after the match against Yukimura. Do you remember?" Fuji asked.

Tezuka closed his eyes. "Aa." He remembered seeing Yukimura standing on the other side of the net before blacking out. He had not heard the scores. Did they…?

"What were the scores?" Tezuka asked quietly, looking away from them.

"Oh, don't worry. We won, Tezuka. There is no way ore-sama's team would lose." Atobe said with a wave of his hand.

Tezuka sighed. "That's good." He said.

He remained seated on his bed for a while, feeling lethargic and not wishing to do anything else. After a while, he looked up, frowning slightly. It had just occurred to him that neither of his friends looked like they wanted to move from the room.

"What?" He asked, guessing that they still had something to say.

Atobe folded his arms and gave a snort. "Ore-sama was just wondering what you're doing, still sitting over there like a statue… well, you are one, but I thought you would be interested to know that a certain someone in ward 13 had just regained consciousness…"

The diva did not even have to finish his sentence, as Tezuka had run past him the next moment.

The three remaining occupants in the room exchanged glances. "How rude. He did not even let ore-sama finish." Atobe frowned.

"Should he be running like that? He had just gotten up after all." Oishi asked worriedly.

Fuji chuckled. "Tezuka will be fine. We shouldn't be staying here now, should we? Let's go see the fun. I have my camera with me."

"Are you really going to use it, Fuji?" Oishi laughed weakly at seeing the sadist's smile widen.

"Saa…" Fuji replied, already loading in the film.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tezuka knew it must be very odd of him charging past the nurses and doctors like that as he sprinted all the way to Ward 13, which was on the fourth floor.

He had been on the 1st floor, and was now running up the stairs two steps at a time. He was too impatient to use the elevator anyway.

Reaching Ward 13, he noticed the Seigaku regulars in there, as well as several of his Kanto High regulars. "Tezuka-buchou!" Katsuo was the first one to notice him, and he felt everyone's gaze turn to him.

His gaze rested upon his boyfriend, who was indeed sitting up on the bed, looking very much alive. A fierce surge of joy and relief ran through him as he strode forward, mildly afraid to believe his eyes, in case it all turned out to be just a dream.

Ryoma turned to face him, his golden eyes blinking, though there was something different about them. "Buchou…" the younger boy said to acknowledge his presence.

Tezuka knew it was definitely not a dream. His feelings surged even higher, and without thinking, he leaned over to press a kiss to Ryoma's lips, not caring that the room had suddenly gone very silent.

Ryoma didn't seem to care as well as the younger boy returned the kiss. Through the kiss, Tezuka expressed all the fears and anxiety he had been feeling throughout the last two weeks. Ryoma in turn soothed his fears and reassured him.

When they finally broke apart, Tezuka stared right into Ryoma's golden gaze.

"Sorry to worry you, buchou." Ryoma said, understanding Tezuka's current feelings.

Tezuka smiled at him. "At least you came back."

Kaidou was giving off a single, continuous hiss that made him sound like a leaking balloon. That seemed to remind Ryoma of something, causing the junior high captain to blush.

"Well…if you're doing that here…I can assume that everyone knows about us already." Ryoma commented about the kiss.

"Actually they found out just five minutes ago. I was the only one who knew." Momoshiro corrected the captain, looking resolutely away from them.

"Ah." Ryoma's blush became worse. He looked like he was itching to jam his cap on his head, if it wasn't for the bandages getting in the way.

"That was unusually bold of Tezuka." Atobe commented, arriving with Oishi and Fuji.

Fuji chuckled. "I'm glad that he is though. Blackmail material for Tezuka is really hard to come by." He stroked his camera lovingly.

Oishi sweatdropped. "You really took a picture after all."

Fuji turned to give him an innocent look. "Of course. You don't get to see this often."

"Hoi? Let me see!" Kikumaru pleaded, trying to nick the camera out of Fuji's hands.

"This goes to my personal collection, Eiji, and I assure you that I do not show off any of my personal collections." Fuji's eyes were open, and Kikumaru wisely stopped trying to make a grab at the camera.

Oishi chuckled. "Maa…maa…Eiji. I'm happy that Tezuka's back to himself again though. He was feeling down for so many days that I couldn't help getting worried."

"You're always worried for everyone and everything anyway, Oishi." Asakawa pointed out, causing the mother-hen to blush in embarrassment.

They turned their attention back to the two captains, who were blissfully in their own world, ignoring everyone else. Though Katsuo accidentally made a careless comment about Ryoma and was hit in the face by a pillow. Well, at least Ryoma's left arm was still strong.

Momoshiro cleared his throat, and everyone's attention turned to him instead. "Echizen. I almost forgot. We wanted to give this to you."

Momoshiro held the gold medal from winning the District Competitions. He walked over to Ryoma's bed as the others watched on with pride.

"That's nice of Momo nya!" Kikumaru grinned.

"Aa. He really is a splendid vice-captain." Oishi declared. His choice of a successor hadn't been wrong at all.

Echizen reached out for the medal, and somehow, he missed the target as the medal fell to the bed before he could get a firm grip on it.

Everyone blinked. Atobe frowned and put his fingers before his eyes. Tezuka looked mildly stunned.

"Don't mind, don't mind ochibi. Here." The ever cheerful Kikumaru had picked up the medal before giving it to Echizen, who managed to take it this time.

"Don't tell me…" Atobe whispered.

Tezuka of course was amongst the first to sense it, since this was his boyfriend. "Ryoma…your eyes…" he said softly.

Ryoma felt the medal in his hands, a bitter smile on his face. "I'm blind." He told them, and immediately everyone's smiles disappeared from their faces.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Right after that, everyone was sent from the room, except for Momoshiro and Tezuka.

Ryoma had a brief word with his vice-captain to give him instructions, and eventually, even the dunk smash player left the room, bringing all the Seigaku regulars back to school with him.

Ryoma's hand found Tezuka's as he held on to his boyfriend for support. The brunette could feel his green-haired junior's hand shaking slightly.

"You were very strong, Ryoma." He said, and his voice filled with pride and admiration.

Ryoma gave a chuckle. "I've learnt that from you." While Ryoma had put up a strong front when Momoshiro had been in the room, now, he looked extremely vulnerable.

"Kunimitsu…I have no idea if I would ever be able to play tennis again, and there is a chance that I might not ever regain my sight." Ryoma voiced his fears, something that only Tezuka would have the privilege to hear.

He leaned slightly against the older boy, closing his sightless eyes. "The thought of not being able to play tennis…scares me. I don't think I would ever be the same if this ability is taken from me."

Tezuka patted Ryoma's arm. He had been through a similar experience before, facing the risk of not being able to ever play again. No matter what, he would pull Ryoma through this.

"Don't think too much about it, Ryoma. You will play again. Besides, I will always be here for you, so put your heart at ease." Tezuka spoke softly.

Ryoma snorted. "Who would know that you could actually spout such lines, Kunimitsu." He teased.

Silence descended between the two again, for they communicated best with it.

Ryoma was the one who spoke up again. "Kunimitsu…"

"Hmm?" Tezuka turned to look at the green-haired boy.

"You…how often have you been here?" Ryoma asked.

Tezuka did not need to think too long for that answer. "Every day."

Ryoma gave a chuckle. "Is that so?" The next moment, his smile was gone from his face.

"Kunimitsu… please promise me something… Don't come back here anymore." Ryoma said solemnly.

Tezuka stiffened. 'Huh?'

"I have a feeling you've been skipping classes just to be here, and I don't like that. You would need to do a lot of catching up on your work. Also, have you forgotten your responsibilities?"

Tezuka blinked. Ryoma was actually scolding him…well…somewhat scolding him anyway.

There was a set, determined look on Ryoma's face. Studying his boyfriend a while, Tezuka nearly laughed out loud when he realized what Ryoma was actually telling him.

'You've been here everyday already. It's about time you concentrate on your studies and your club. Don't waste your time on me.'

Tezuka shook his head slightly. "Silly." He said fondly.

He noticed Ryoma frowning and gave a sigh. "I understand. I will not drop by so often anymore." 'If I can help it.' He added in his mind.

Ryoma relaxed at his words. "Thank you."

"In return, make sure that you're resting. You would need sleep to mend those bones of yours." Tezuka said sternly, sounding like a stricter version of Oishi.

"Usu." Tezuka helped Ryoma to lie back, as the junior high captain was still having difficulties moving his body. He had been in a sleeping position for around two weeks after all, and all his muscles had gone to sleep as well.

Tezuka stayed a while by Ryoma's bedside, waiting for his boyfriend to drop off to sleep before leaving.

"Kunimitsu…please give my thanks to senpai-tachi for all their visits." Ryoma mumbled sleepily.

"Aa." Tezuka helped to pull the covers up as Ryoma soon fell into deep slumber.

"Rest well." He said as he left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By now, everything had settled down already in Kanto High School. Headmaster Toruwa took the opportunity to improvise the current system, making it similar to most other high schools'.

For one, it was no longer purely exam-based, as now exams only took up 70 percent of the scores, while co-curricular activities took up the other 30 percent. Though this only applied to the first and second years. For third years, exams took up 80 percent, and co-curricular activities took up 20. It wouldn't be fair to ask the third years to adapt to this new rule so suddenly.

Because of this, many of the students rushed to start up clubs again, and some of the sports clubs were revived. Not all though, as more of the students preferred clubs relating to intellectual abilities, like the Book Club, or the Chess Club. Those did count as co-curricular activities after all.

The Last classes were abolished, as now all the classes were named with numbers instead of alphabets. The students of class 1-5 were treated to a surprise that day.

"Konnichiwa. I am Ishii Ayaka, and I would be your class teacher starting from today onwards. Yoroshiku." The whole class erupted with cheers and applause. Ayaka-sensei merely smiled and gave them all a nod.

"Ayaka-sensei's back! Oishi! Isn't that great?" Eiji had glomped his doubles partner and was bouncing in his seat.

"Aa. Eiji…get a grip on yourself. It's not proper to behave like that in class." Oishi was turning red with embarrassment, as the acrobatic player's antics were attracting the attention of their classmates.

"Hoi hoi! Mengo mengo!" Kikumaru grinned as he released his pal.

Fuji gave Tezuka a nudge. "Tezuka. Our old teacher is back. Aren't you happy?"

"Aa." Tezuka gave his short reply, not looking up from his books.

The tensai chuckled. Tezuka really had quite some catching up to do for his schoolwork, though considering the captain's ability; it shouldn't take him too long.

"I have one announcement to make. It is the school's fiftieth anniversary next Thursday, and the headmaster has decided to hold a three-day event for it. It will also be merging with co-curricular day, so all of you would be free to set up booths to welcome new members to your club."

That at least got Tezuka's attention, as he set aside his books temporarily.

"On the first day, all clubs are to set up registration booths. You may sell food, drinks or souvenirs on that day. On the second and third days, you are free to come up with your own events to promote your clubs. Do note that these two days are open to the public as well, so you might want to come up with something impressive."

The students were whispering amongst themselves. Tezuka was frowning slightly, his arms crossed as the gears in his mind were already moving. Atobe was already planning something under his breath, his eyes glinting excitedly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Behold! Our new tennis courts!" Atobe made a grand sweep of his arms. He didn't really need to, actually, as the courts themselves were more impressive than he was.

"Whoa!" Kikumaru's mouth was hanging open as he surveyed the courts, which were _huge_. Just like Atobe to give the club such a makeover with that endless budget of his.

Oishi gave a smile of approval. "The reconstruction of our tennis courts is finally completed, and just in time for the School Anniversary too." He noticed that the trees and wild hedges surrounding the courts were gone, and now bushes trimmed in all shapes and sizes had taken their places. Was this really the tennis courts of a high school? Looked more like the gardens in some palace…

"Atobe…we're not holding the Nationals here." Tezuka frowned slightly.

Atobe snorted. "Ore-sama know that. However, only such majestic courts would suit ore-sama's tastes."

Kikumaru and Asakawa had already made their way to the courts. "Hoi hoi! Let's start practice already nya!"

"All members assemble at once." Tezuka gave the order, and the 12 members of the tennis club formed a line before him.

"I have a couple of announcements. Firstly, we would welcome Ayaka-sensei back to our club. She would be the club's teacher advisor again. However, Echizen Nanjirou-san would remain as our coach."

"Hoi hoi! Ochibi-chan's dad is our coach!" Kikumaru cheered. Tezuka's glare caused him to become quiet again.

"Hmm…that means you would always be under the watchful gaze of your possible future father-in-law. Right, Tezuka?" Atobe muttered evilly.

Tezuka twitched. Without a change to his expression, he had managed to move his foot ever so slightly to stomp on Atobe's poor, unsuspecting right foot. In fact, he even did so without any of the club members (except for Fuji) noticing, and all of them were wondering why their vice-captain was hopping on one foot so suddenly.

"Secondly, as sensei had mentioned, we will be having our School Anniversary and our Co-curricular Day soon. It will be a three-day event. On the first day, we are to set up booths for all clubs and classes. Any suggestions?" Tezuka asked, looking up.

"If only Taka-san were still around. We could set up a sushi booth." Fuji said thoughtfully.

"Leave that to me. Ore-sama would see to it that my chefs whip up a feast for that day." Atobe declared, throwing Tezuka a disgusted look. 'How dare you stomp on my **(censored)** yen shoes! Ore-sama's feet are not to be trodden on by peasants!'

Tezuka frowned. "Do not prepare anything too fanciful. This is only a simple school event. We would not be feeding the whole nation."

"You distrust ore-sama, Tezuka, ahn." Atobe didn't look too happy.

Fuji chuckled. "So we'll be leaving the sales of food and beverages to you then, Atobe. As for the sales of souvenirs, leave that to me."

"Let me help out nya, Fuji!" Kikumaru sounded hopeful.

"Of course, Eiji."

Tezuka nodded. "Alright. The first day is settled then. For the second and third days, we will be doing a demonstration of tennis matches…"

"I object to that, Tezuka. Ore-sama already have something in mind for those two days." Atobe folded his arms.

Tezuka threw him a stare, allowing him to continue on.

"Since day two and three are open to the public, we should be coming up with a theme for our tennis club, one that would catch all their attention. Of course, it must show them how ore-sama's majestic tennis club is like…"

"No." Already Tezuka did not like the sound of it.

Atobe's eyes narrowed into his trademark Ice Emperor stare. "Ore-sama would insist on this…"

"No." Tezuka's tone was final.

Sensing that Atobe wasn't going to give up without a fight, Tezuka turned his attention back to the other members. "Continue on with practice. You would all be informed of our decision later."

With that, everyone began playing against each other, though Oishi threw a worried glance at the captain and vice-captain, who were both bickering…well…Atobe was bickering anyway, and Tezuka was merely keeping quiet, save for the one or two words he said occasionally.

"I wonder if those two would ever cooperate…" Oishi spoke aloud.

Fuji smiled. "Saa…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Day One 

The second and first year classes in charge of decorating the entire school compound did a splendid job as Oishi walked into school that day to see banners and balloons all over the place…well…alright, the designs were rather childish, considering this was done by a bunch of students who were previously engrossed in their studies only. Still, one had to give them credit for all their efforts, so the mother-hen wasn't complaining.

He went over to the school field, where all the booths were set up. Already, club members and students were seen bustling around their respective booths.

"Get me more of those octopus balls!" He could hear someone yell from the Computer Club as he passed. He smiled. High school life was being restored to this school.

Oishi changed his mind as soon as he reached the tennis club booths.

For right before him were a couple of booths with a gem-studded, gold-signboard. You definitely couldn't miss the Tennis Club even if you wanted to, not with all those eye-catching glitter and all those men in black around it.

"Atobe…" Oishi began once he had finally managed to gather his jaw off the ground.

"Speechless, aren't you? I would say my men really have outdone themselves this time." Atobe said proudly.

Oishi nearly fainted when he saw what was on sale.

Foe Gras… Caviar… 

…and a whole load of other delicacies that Oishi was sure normal people wouldn't be able to afford.

"Atobe…are you aware that we're supposed to sell these to students?" Oishi asked weakly.

The diva snorted. "Sell? Whoever said anything about selling? I'm distributing these for free. Be awed by ore-sama's generosity."

Oishi cast a glance at the other people handling the booth. Kira was looking weary, while Yamato merely gave Oishi a helpless shrug.

He turned his attention back to Atobe. "We're supposed to be raising funds for the club today. How are we going to do that if we're not selling anything?"

"Ore-sama don't think funds are a problem now. Ore-sama will see to that. It's _people_ we need to gather to the club." Atobe said.

He snapped his fingers, and one of his men hurried to give him a drink. He took one sip before continuing on.

"Besides, peasants would need to know what they're missing out on." Atobe added.

Oishi shook his head disbelievingly, deciding to move on to the next booth, which was handled by Fuji and the others.

"Oishi! You're here nya!" Kikumaru bounced over to glomp his doubles partner.

"Aa. How are things going here?" Oishi swept his glance over the items displayed on the table, and had to do a double take.

It seemed that Fuji was selling some cacti, no surprise there. But there were also photographs on sale.

"This…when was this taken?" Oishi was horrified at seeing the pictures of all the tennis club members; and all looked like they were taken secretly. He spotted a few pictures of himself and Eiji in it. One showed him sneezing; the other showed Eiji sleeping in class.

"Oh? These were taken throughout the year. Lovely pictures, aren't they? It shows everyone in their natural poses." Fuji stated calmly, his smile unchanging.

"Fuji! Shouldn't you ask first before you go around selling these pictures?" the mother-hen asked weakly, trying to hide the more embarrassing pictures of all the club members. (He had spotted a few with various members of the club picking their noses and toes)

"I don't see anything wrong with this. Besides, I'm sure many of the girls would like to get their hands on these pictures. Take this for example." Fuji held up one photograph in particular. It showed Tezuka without his glasses, as the K-High captain was wiping said glasses on his shirt.

Seeing his best friend's picture reminded him of something. "Where's Tezuka? Isn't he usually the earliest?"

"He was here this morning, though he had gone off to the health room for some aspirins." Asakawa told him.

The subject of their conversation returned at that moment, holding his head. Tezuka looked like he had aged another 10 years as he massaged his temples.

"Are you alright, Tezuka?" Oishi asked.

"Aa." Tezuka mask was perfectly intact. 'I'm having a migraine from Atobe and Fuji's schemes, so of course I'm **not** okay.'

The captain noticed that so far, none of the students dared to venture near the tennis club booths. His vice-captain was frowning slightly. "How odd. Ore-sama thought that usually you peasants would love free food."

"Atobe. Ask your bodyguards to leave. They're scaring everyone away." Already Tezuka could feel another headache coming up.

"Oishi, Yamato-senpai. Please get the registration forms out at your respective booths. In the meantime…I'm calling Kawamura." Tezuka threw a disapproving glare at all the rich food on display at the table.

"Hai!" No objections to that.

"Oi, Tezuka!" Atobe protested, but already the captain was dialing the sushi chef's number.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Day Two

"Hmm…from yesterday, we had miraculously managed to gather 15 new members." Oishi was saying.

It had been a silent but furious battle between the captain and vice-captain of K-High. Tezuka felt that Atobe's plan was too bombastic. Atobe had argued that Tezuka was too old-fashioned.

"What's so bad with distributing caviar at a school festival?" 

In the end, Tezuka had allowed Atobe to have his way, while aging another ten years.

Well, for today, Atobe was in charge. Tezuka had lost the "discussion" after all.

**:::Rewind back to last week:::**

"_As ore-sama was saying, Tezuka, we need to make sure the tennis club stands out from the other clubs." Atobe stubbornly insisted._

_Tezuka's frown became worse. "We're not going to parade around in costumes. We're the tennis club, NOT the drama troupe."_

_Atobe ran a hand through his hair. "Hmph. You're not sporting at all. The public needs to know who's the King of Kanto High."_

_It was obvious the captain of K-High was going to have none of this nonsense. Atobe had an idea._

"_Ne, Tezuka. Let us settle this on that peasants' game. If ore-sama win, the 2nd day is under my command. If you win, we'll go along with the tennis matches."_

"_Very well."_

_Seconds later, a smug Atobe walked away, as Tezuka's 'rock' was defeated by his 'paper'. At least there was something Tezuka couldn't win him at._

"_Listen up! We would be having a royal parade, and would be dressed up as royalties and nobles on the second day of the festival. The captain has kindly agreed to this as well." He threw said captain a smirk, and the brunette looked away from him, finding the clouds in the sky to be more interesting instead._

_Kikumaru sighed. "Man…if only we had a girls' tennis club in our school, we wouldn't have to go to such extreme measures to get the students' attention." He whispered to Oishi as Atobe rambled on about his plan._

_Atobe halted in mid-speech, and Kikumaru felt a cold blast of wind hit him as Atobe gave the acrobatic player a stare._

"_Hmm…you've actually given ore-sama an idea…"_

_Kikumaru gulped._

**:::end of flashback:::**

"What does this have to do with tennis?" Oishi wondered, gesturing to his costume--a Prince's outfit.

All of them had taken on a medieval theme. Currently there are six Knights (Kira, Asakawa and the four non-regulars), three Princes (Yamato, Atobe and Oishi) and a King (Tezuka). Initially it was supposed to be Atobe as the King, but Tezuka looked like one overgrown Prince, as everyone pointed out. You can't really blame him, since he was often mistaken as a teacher even when he was in junior high, all thanks to his mature facial features. Because of this, Atobe had reluctantly switched roles with the captain.

"The main purpose is that we stand out from the rest of the clubs and classes. Class 2-4 has organized a haunted house event, while the Book Club members are all dressed up as waiters and waitresses today, while doing a café theme. We would have to be different to beat them." Atobe declared, still checking himself in his pocket mirror.

Oishi looked amused at the vice-captain's vanity, though he also noticed something else. "Atobe…your hair has grown again."

"Of course." Atobe snorted. Not that he was complaining about his spiky hairstyle. His beautiful face went well with anything, even dark grey spikes. Still, it was good to have his old hairstyle back, as it looked more befitting his noble blood.

"Hmph. Ore-sama would not forgive that Echizen for shaving off my beautiful hair." 'Even though I was the one who said to shave my head if I had lost' Atobe shuddered at the memory.

Nanjirou, who had been not too far away from the teenagers, gave a short laugh at Atobe's statement.

"That's odd. From what Ryoma told me, he was only repaying the favour—for you injuring his buchou's shoulder."

Silence followed this revelation.

"Echizen shaved Atobe's hair…was actually because of _that_?" Oishi gasped.

"My, my. This Echizen-kun sure could hold a grudge." Yamato chuckled.

Atobe threw Tezuka a wry glance. "To have such a protective boyfriend. You sure are lucky."

No change to the K-High's captain's expression, save for the faint flush that had appeared on his cheeks.

"By the way, where are those two?" Atobe wondered.

Fuji and Kikumaru made their appearance, both wearing heavy cloaks to cover their forms.

It was only after they had reached their teammates did they undo the cloak, revealing very intricate, long gowns. Both gowns even had flowing sleeves to cover their arms.

"This is very disturbing…" Fuji was saying, a tiara resting on his head. Both he and Kikumaru were forced to dress as Princesses.

Kikumaru had a wig on, since his hairstyle wasn't suitable for a princess. "Oishi. This is kinda fun, nya!" The acrobatic player was actually enjoying himself, finding this cross-dressing experience amusing.

"E-Eiji!" Oishi had turned an incredible shade of red. Already, he was trying to use himself as a shield to block his doubles' partner from the lewd stares of passersby.

Well, Fuji was having it worse, as the boy found all his teammates staring at him and blushing--even Atobe. Tezuka was the only one who looked unaffected.

"It is such a pity he wasn't born a girl. Tezuka. What do you think? Doesn't Fuji look good?" Atobe asked.

"Aa." Tezuka gave his opinion, and that was all. There was still a look of disinterest on his face.

Atobe smirked. "Well. This shows that ore-sama's make-up artists really are the best. Be awed by my…"

"Love for cross-dressing." Nanjirou finished the sentence for him evilly.

Before Atobe could kill the coach, Nanjirou had already made his escape, singing "Mada mada dane" as he went.

'It isn't my fault that my features are so effeminate. I like girls, but at this rate, I would be having the boys in school all over me!' Fuji was already plotting the death of the K-High vice-captain for even coming up with this suggestion.

Atobe noticed that Tezuka was the only one not ogling over the two beautiful 'princesses' and frowned. "What's with you?"

Kikumaru bounced up and down excitedly. "I know! Tezuka-buchou is just loyal to ochibi-chan nya!"

"Eiji! Don't tease Tezuka." Oishi chided him.

Atobe smirked. "Ore-sama don't blame him. Echizen is a pretty boy, so of course Tezuka had it bad."

Fuji chuckled. "Saa…I wonder what Echizen would look like in a dress."

Tezuka merely frowned at him. Moments later, the 'King' had turned around and walked swiftly away from his teammates.

"Tezuka. Where are you going?" Oishi asked, but got no reply from his best friend.

A few seconds passed as all of them watched the captain make his way to the washroom.

"Ne, Oishi. Why is Tezuka-buchou putting a hand to his nose?" Kikumaru asked curiously.

Another few seconds passed.

"Incredible. I think Tezuka has gotten a nosebleed." Asakawa finally said.

No one else said anything, and the only sounds after that were the 'clicks' of a certain someone's camera.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The whole tennis club sure stood out indeed, as literally everyone-parents and students alike-had their eyes on this odd team.

Atobe was a complete natural, as he strutted around promoting the club with the air of a real prince.

The golden pair was walking side by side, with Kikumaru enjoying all the attention, and Oishi trying to prevent him from being molested.

Just as Atobe had hoped for, many of the male students had made their way to the Club's registration booth, where Fuji was.

"Hai. Please fill in your details here." Fuji was having difficulties maintaining his smile with all the stares he was receiving. Here he was, tensai Fuji Shuusuke, top student amongst the first years, now dressed as someone of the opposite gender and actually doing a good job at it. Brilliant…

The only reason why no one has attempted to tackle him yet was because he wasn't the only one at the booth.

Tezuka stood right behind Fuji, his arms folded and his usual frown on his face. He certainly looked like a king protecting his daughter, and anyone who dared to lay hands on her (him?) would have their heads rolling.

By the end of the day, their parade was over, and everyone glanced at the list held in Atobe's hand.

"We have at least 40 new members today…only 40?" Atobe snorted. Was there a flaw in his plan?

Tezuka wasn't too surprised. Most of the students still felt too awkward to join a sports club, since they were so used to the old school system. It would take a while for them to warm up to the club. Atobe's plan did work a little though. Princesses Fuji and Kikumaru had caused the number of male students who signed up for the club to increase. Though the efforts Tezuka and the others made were not lost either, as now there would most likely be a girls' tennis team starting soon.

Atobe sniffed. "Well. There is still tomorrow to look forward to. Tezuka, you had better get the list ready then."

The Kanto High captain gave him a bored stare. "I've already done that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Day Three

Tezuka sure hoped that at least today would be better. He shuddered as he remembered yesterday.

He stared at the list. All the regulars would be doing a demonstration of tennis matches later. He sure hoped that would at least stir the interest of the students.

"Ohayou, Tezuka." Oishi greeted, being the second to reach the clubroom.

Tezuka inclined his head slightly in greeting. He handed Oishi the list, allowing his best friend to browse through.

"Hmm…so we're put into teams of doubles and singles…eh? We're also going to be playing against non-members?" Oishi looked up.

Tezuka gave a slight nod. "It would be a good idea to let some of the spectators try out this sport, aside from just watching it."

"I see. Allowing non-members to participate seems like a good idea. We're also giving prizes away to those who managed to score against us? Where are we going to get all those prizes?" Oishi asked.

"Atobe would be in charge of that." Tezuka gave a short reply.

Eventually, the others entered the clubroom too. Everyone now wore the K-High tennis club uniform.

"Alright. Don't let your guard down. Let's go!" Tezuka gave the command, and the regulars made their way to the tennis courts.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"This sure is exciting, Inoue-senpai!" Shiba was practically bouncing in her seat as she snapped pictures of Kanto High's new tennis courts.

"Aa. This is the first time the school had opened its gates to the public in about six years. I'm glad now that the system has changed. Those boys must have suffered enough." The Monthly Tennis reporter scanned around the area for any signs of the regulars.

Majority of the crowd went in the direction of the tennis courts, of course, as the Kanto High regulars would be giving a tennis demonstration as part of their performance for the School Anniversary.

"Oh! There they are!" Shiba was on her feet as she saw the regulars walking into the courts, all wearing their red, white and orange uniforms.

"Tezuka-kun! Atobe-kun! Look over here!" She waved.

Tezuka ignored her, while Atobe had gotten into a gallant pose for her to snap her shots.

"Ladies and gentlemen. We would be starting the demonstrations shortly. First match doubles. Oishi-Kikumaru pair against Yamato-Kira pair." One of the non-regulars was in charge of making the announcements.

"The Golden Pair in action! Mou…I wish they had dressed up in yesterday's costumes for today's match. Kikumaru-kun had looked so cute! Ne, Inoue-senpai?" Shiba asked as her camera clicked repeatedly.

"Shiba. Kikumaru-kun would not be able to play in a dress." He sighed at his photographer, who had the attitude of a 16-year-old fangirl trapped in a woman's body.

The matches were only a demonstration, and so the regulars weren't really competing. Kikumaru displayed his acrobatic play, enjoying all the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' he had gotten from the spectators every time he did so.

"Eiji." Oishi chuckled at seeing his doubles partner's antics. Eiji loved being under the limelight.

"Hoi hoi! I want to use Kikumaru Bazooka!" The acrobatic player bounced on the spot, getting happy and giddy from all the cheers.

"Eiji! Have you forgotten Tezuka's instructions? We're not to use our skills, no matter how much we want to." Oishi kept him in check.

As Kikumaru pouted, Yamato chuckled. "Kikumaru-kun. Don't forget that today we're only doing a demonstration. This is to stir the interest of the other students who might want to join the club, and also as our performance for the anniversary. Besides, today the school's open to the public. Have you forgotten what that means?"

The former captain of Seigaku spotted a few spies from the other schools, who had taken this opportunity to scout the K-High Tennis Club for possible signs of weakness. Needless to say, Kikumaru spotted them too.

"Hoi! They really are using dirty tactics nya! I spotted spies from at least 6 different schools. Don't recognize the uniforms though. I think they're all unseeded." Kikumaru informed.

Kira sighed. "I suppose there are ups and downs to being the champions in the competitions. We never had this problem before this. Our school wasn't worth spying on then though."

"We'll just do normal returns. I think they would be severely disappointed with what they have learnt about our school by the end of the day. Don't worry. Each of our demonstrations is only 20 minutes. Let us not give away our real skills." Oishi told the other three.

Just then, they noted the signal from Atobe, and all of them ended their game. The four gave a bow to their audience, who broke out with polite applause. All four returned to the others. Kikumaru gave Fuji a high five as he passed. "Your turn now." He grinned.

Fuji smiled. "Hai. Come on, Asakawa."

Shiba looked like she was going to blast off into the air any moment as she spotted the tensai walking into the courts. "Tensai Fuji Shuusuke! So cool! I do hope he would show us some of his skills. Those four just now hardly showed us anything, not even the Golden Pair. How disappointing."

"Shiba…this is not a real tournament. They're saving their strength for the real games." Inoue told her. He threw a disapproving glance at a few students from the other schools, as they were recording the match. Ah well, there would always be some schools resorting to such tricks just to ensure their own victory.

"Quadruple counter: Tsubame Gaeshi." Fuji hit a shot that dipped to the ground.

Asakawa returned it easily. "Interesting. You're actually trying to confuse those spies."

Fuji chuckled. "Of course. My returning swallow is not hit like that at all. Besides. The real returning swallow is difficult to return."

Asakawa too was keeping his speed at a minimum, concentrating on just returning the shots to Fuji. Fuji did an odd version of Brown Bear Falling, returning the shot with his left hand instead of his right. He took delight in the fact that the spies from the other schools looked like they were eagerly taking note of even that.

Asakawa shuddered at how the sadist was confusing everyone, and enjoying it.

Atobe gave the signal. 20 minutes was up. It was the last match before the non-members were allowed to participate.

"Mou…we really would not be seeing anything interesting today…" Shiba groaned. So far, no one was playing seriously. She could see that.

Inoue was still writing in his notepad. "This is just a school festival, Shiba. We're writing about the revival of the club in this school, so just concentrate on that. I think you might be happier with the next match. Tezuka-kun and Atobe-kun are walking to the courts."

Shiba groaned. "What's the use? Even they won't play seriously." She dutifully took some pictures of the two players, who had started a simple rally. They obviously were playing at a thousand times worse than their normal level.

"Hmph. Aren't those troublesome people leaving yet? Maybe ore-sama should give the command for my bodyguards to drive them away." Atobe was feeling rather put off by Tezuka's order to not play seriously.

There wasn't a change to Tezuka's expression, but Atobe could see that the brunette was actually studying the crowd for the scouts. "They would leave eventually, once the demonstration is done." He said quietly.

Atobe sighed. "Ore-sama hope so. They're annoying."

The two held out until the 20 minutes was up before ending the game. Now the audience has the opportunity to play against the regulars.

"Ladies and gentlemen. The tennis demonstration has ended, so any of you who are interested in trying out a practice match against one of the regulars, please register at the counter. Participants are then required to draw lots to see who your challenger will be."

There were two counters. One was the registration forms for the matches, while the other was registration for the club. The remaining three non-regulars were handling the booth for the club, while Fuji and Kikumaru were at the one dealing with the matches.

Already there was a line of people eager to try playing against the champions of the District Games. Each participant was allowed 15 minutes. Oishi and Kira went first as their names were drawn.

Of course, it was only a practice match, and as Tezuka had instructed, they were to play according to their opponent's strength, so as not to scare the non-members away.

Inoue tried his luck, and had Atobe as his opponent.

"Hmm? You're that reporter from the tennis magazine, aren't you?" The diva lifted one elegant eyebrow at the older man.

Inoue nodded. "I'm Inoue from the Tennis Monthly magazine. Yoroshiku."

"Is that so? In that case, be sure you write about ore-sama's beautiful tennis skills." Atobe ran a hand through his dark grey locks as he spoke.

Meanwhile, in the other court, Tezuka stood facing the one who had drawn his name…no, actually, Tezuka stood towering over the one who had drawn his name, looking down at her.

For said opponent was an eight-year-old little girl.

The other regulars were laughing amongst themselves, seeing the stoic captain against someone like that.

"Saa…I wonder how Tezuka would handle this." Fuji's smile was evil as he whipped out his camera.

"I was wondering if Tezuka would ever have his chance to play. Oishi's name was drawn thrice. Fuji went out twice. The rest of us went out either once or twice nya. Even Atobe had a match before this." Kikumaru calculated.

"Aa. When Tezuka finally has the chance to play, he actually goes against a little girl." Oishi looked sympathetic.

In the meantime, Tezuka was holding back the strong urge to sneeze. His fellow regulars were talking about him. He just knew it. In the other court, Atobe threw him a smirk even as the diva played.

Tezuka lowered his racket, walking over to the other side of the court. He knelt slightly before the little girl, so that he was around her height.

"Have you ever played tennis before?" he asked.

The girl shook her head, though Tezuka could see that she was extremely interested in trying out the sport.

Tezuka stood up. There was no point continuing this match anymore. She couldn't play after all, and he did not wish to embarrass her by proceeding with the game. "Oishi. Ask the next person to draw his or her lot." He called out.

"Tezuka! I don't think you could abandon this match. This girl had drawn your name after all. You would have to play against her." Oishi protested.

Tezuka's expression was still unreadable. "I'm not going to abandon the match. I'm going to train her a little." He held out one hand to the girl, who took it.

The regulars watched as the Kanto High captain led the girl to one of the smaller courts to let her try out tennis.

"Whoa! Who knew that Tezuka actually has a soft side?" Asakawa sounded amazed.

The brunette captain was teaching the girl the correct way to grip the racket. Before long, the girl was happily trying out a few hits as Tezuka gently served the tennis balls to her.

"Darn! I hope Shiba's taking pictures of that!" Inoue groaned, still stuck in a match with Atobe.

Of course, the wealthy vice-captain was offended. "Oi. Do you find the match against ore-sama to be so boring that you would rather watch Tezuka's match with a little girl? Very well. Ore-sama will show you my real skills then."

With that, Atobe deliberately used shots to make the reporter race around the courts in order to retrieve them.

The regulars who were watching gave a sigh at seeing how both their captain and vice-captain were playing. One was playing like a monster, while the other had toned down to the level of a pre-school student.

It was amazing how Tezuka could treat the girl with such gentleness, and still remain his stoic self. Definitely a feat that only the wooden block could pull off.

After some time, Tezuka noticed that the girl was already tired from all that practice, and decided to call it a day.

"That's enough for now. Don't forget everything you've learnt today." He spoke with the air of a trainer addressing his student, though perhaps with less severity. The girl nodded enthusiastically at him.

"Hai!" She ran off, heading in the direction of a woman whom Tezuka presumed was the girl's mother.

"Mama! Tennis is really fun! That nice man over there taught me how to play." She chirped.

The woman chuckled. "I hope you're glad I registered for you. Go say bye to that nice young man."

The girl nodded, going back to Tezuka. "Bye bye, uncle! You really are such a kind and nice person! Let's play tennis again!"

"Aa." Tezuka gave a slight nod to the girl, who waved and followed her mum away.

He knew what to expect as he walked back to his teammates. Surely enough, most of them burst out laughing, except for Yamato and Kira, who were in the courts now.

"Tezuka. You really are old." Atobe smirked at Tezuka's new nickname.

"Kind and nice guy? That girl was using all the wrong adjectives…" Asakawa whispered to Kikumaru, who had to hide his laughter least he was force-fed wasabi sushi if the captain was angered.

Tezuka resolutely ignored them. Their demonstration would only be another half an hour. After that, the school festival was over and they could all take a break.

"Tezuka…" Oishi's voice made him look up.

He frowned as he saw a certain monk who wore a flu-mask and a pair of shades. The man was trying to disguise himself, and ended up standing out instead.

"Echizen-san…" Tezuka felt a headache coming up.

Their coach lifted one hand to show the slip of paper he held there. "I've decided to try my luck as well, and well…this is the name I drew."

**Tezuka Kunimitsu**

"So there. Let's begin." The monk grinned cheerily.

Tezuka picked up his racket and headed over to the courts. Once they were out of the other regulars' earshot, Nanjirou's smile vanished.

"You know the terms, Tezuka-kun. You know what to expect if you lose this match."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Anou…didn't Tezuka ask us to hold back our real strengths?" Asakawa asked uncertainly.

"Yeah?" Oishi confirmed.

Asakawa pointed towards the courts. "So what's that?"

Both Tezuka and Nanjirou were playing like archenemies. In fact, even without using the states of self-actualization, the two were stubbornly defending their sides of the courts.

"I think I know what's driving the both of them to do this." Fuji chuckled.

In the stands, Shiba was snapping away happily, as she finally got the shots she had desired. The spies from other schools, on the other hand, had dropped their cameras. Tezuka was obviously at a level that they could not reach, so it made no difference even if they had managed to collect information about him.

"Mada mada dane…" Nanjirou taunted as Tezuka returned one particularly nasty shot.

The two were evenly matched, and their match was causing more of the spectators to watch.

"Very good, Tezuka-kun. I've rarely faced an opponent that could last over 15 minutes against me. My Ryoma was the last one who could." Nanjirou declared.

Tezuka frowned. "It would do you good not to underestimate me."

Nanjirou sighed and gave a simple flick of his wrist, returning the shot over the net. "Of course, of course. I cannot underestimate you. You've managed to win the heart of my apathetic son after all. Which reminds me…I haven't seen you in the hospital at all recently." Nanjirou's expression showed that he was obviously not pleased with Tezuka.

Tezuka was quiet at that, and Nanjirou misinterpreted the silence.

"What's wrong? Feeling guilty that you've abandoned my son now that he's handicapped?"

"I did not abandon Ryoma!" Tezuka glared, scoring a shot in his rage.

He understood that the older Echizen must have been feeling extremely upset to see his son in this condition, especially since Nanjirou had such high hopes for Ryoma playing tennis. However, Nanjirou had prodded a nerve with his accusation. As if Tezuka did not want to go to the hospital.

"I promised him…that I would concentrate on my studies. He didn't want me to return to that place." Tezuka spoke quietly after he managed to calm down.

Nanjirou stopped the game, and now both men stood facing each other.

"Ryoma…is low in spirits these few days. He doesn't like to be trapped in that hospital, day after day. It doesn't suit his character." Nanjirou finally admitted wearily.

Tezuka's expression did not change, except for the worried look in his eyes.

"I understand. I will look for him later then." He promised.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tezuka opened the door softly, peeking into the room to see if Ryoma was sleeping.

His boyfriend was awake, and currently Ryoma was just sitting on the bed quietly, looking to be so deep in thought that he might not have noticed Tezuka entering the room.

However, as the Kanto High captain walked over to the bed, Ryoma turned to him.

"Kunimitsu." He said in greeting.

"Aa." Tezuka took one of the chairs next to the bed and sat on it.

"How do you know it's me?" Tezuka asked.

Ryoma shrugged. "It's just a feeling."

Tezuka looked up to see Ryoma smiling slightly. "Guess I can't really keep you from coming here after all."

"Gomen." Tezuka apologized, wondering if Ryoma was going to scold him again.

The green haired boy shook his head. "I'm not blaming you. While I did ask you not to return here, secretly I was hoping that you wouldn't listen to me."

Neither of them spoke for a while. Ryoma sat up straighter, using his pillows to rest his back.

"How's life?" he asked.

Tezuka gave him a brief account on the school anniversary. He was hoping to not mention much about the second day, as he put more emphasis on the other two days instead. Unfortunately for him, Ryoma's curiosity made him describe the second day as well.

It didn't take long for him to describe the costume parade, and once he was done, he noticed Ryoma's head bent, though the silent shaking of his shoulders gave off the fact that he was laughing.

"Fuji-senpai and Eiji-senpai dressed as girls?" Ryoma asked finally.

"Aa. Princesses." It pleased him to see Ryoma cheering up from his narrations, and went on to describe every single detail about the two regulars' dresses, causing Ryoma to chuckle some more.

"What were you wearing?" Ryoma asked curiously. Tezuka frowned when he noticed a shudder running through the younger boy. What on earth was Ryoma thinking anyway?

"I did NOT dress as a princess, so try not to picture that. Atobe made me dress up as a king." He went on to describe the outfit.

When he was done, he noticed that Ryoma's face had turned slightly red. "I do hope Fuji-senpai took a picture of that." Ryoma muttered so quietly that Tezuka almost didn't hear him.

A few seconds later, Ryoma frowned. Even if Fuji had taken a pic, it made no difference anyway, as he wouldn't be able to see it.

"Ne, Kunimitsu. How did you go through all those months anyway, after you injured your shoulder?" Ryoma asked quietly.

The Seigaku captain ran his left hand on the sheets. "I do not wish to stay cooped up here forever. Days and nights pass here, and I do not even know the difference anymore."

Tezuka closed his eyes. He knew of a way. It was just his selfish, possessive feelings for Ryoma that were preventing him from voicing it out. Still, it pained him to see Ryoma feeling so trapped.

"Kyuushu." He finally said.

Ryoma cocked his head to one side. "What?"

Tezuka looked at Ryoma's arm briefly before looking away. "There is a clinic in Kyuushu, one of the best in the country. I went there last year, remember?"

How could Ryoma forget that? The whole team had been stunned by the news of Tezuka's departure from the club at that time. Ryoma had vented all his frustrations on poor Kirihara and Sanada later, of course.

The Seigaku captain pulled out of his thoughts. "You're asking me to move from one hospital to a clinic so far away?" he asked, frowning slightly.

Tezuka shook his head. "No. That clinic is not just a healthcare centre. It is more of a rehabilitation centre. There they have trainers and doctors to watch over you. As you recover, they will give you some training to help strengthen your weakened muscles."

The Kanto High captain swallowed. "I would suggest for you to go to that place. It might help you to recover faster as compared to this place."

Ryoma seemed to be thinking it over. He reached out and managed to find his boyfriend's arm, touching it lightly. "You do not sound very happy, Kunimitsu."

Tezuka was unhappy of course. Kyuushu was a very far place from where they were. 'If you go…it would be a while before I see you again.' He thought sadly.

He steeled himself. "Don't worry about me. Ryoma. Go on to Kyuushu. At least your chances to recover are higher there."

Ryoma could sense that Tezuka wasn't too pleased, and could roughly guess what his predecessor was thinking.

Before he could open his mouth to turn down Tezuka's suggestion, however, the Kanto High captain had added quietly.

"We will meet each other again. For now, don't forget that your responsibilities as Seigaku captain must come first."

For a while, Ryoma said nothing, as he was considering his boyfriend's words.

At long last, Ryoma made his decision.

"_Usu."_

To be continued…

A/N: Finally finished it! I was so worried that I would end up dragging this chapter over three weeks. (goes hysterical)

Once again, so sorry for the delay this round, and thank you all for your support. That kept me going throughout these crazy assignment-packed weeks. Gah! Moral exams tomorrow. Why do we even take moral studies when we're in university already? Bleh…

Quite a bit of fan service in here. There is a bit of Atobe X Fuji, and Oishi X Kikumaru. However, do note that even if I put fan service in here, that does not necessarily mean that they're going to end up as couples. I'm only slotting them in for fun. XD

Besides. I insist on making Fuji straight in my fic. Ufufufu…

As I have mentioned in the other fic, I might pair **Fuji** up with **Sakuno**. What do you think of this? Good idea? Bad idea?

Dropping hints like mad for my sequel, especially in this chapter, though I doubt that many of you are able to pick them up. Only my two pals were able to, but that's because I gave them spoilers for the whole story already.

Heaven knows when am I free to start on the next chapters. Wish me luck.

In the meantime, **please read and review**. **No flames please**.

-Gwyn


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. I only own my OCs.**

**Warning: Mild spoilers to the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. **

**Pairing: Tezuka X Echizen. Sanada X Yukimura**

**(This chapter tallies with Chapter 14 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: As mentioned in the other fic, I would try to write at least one chapter without any Tezuka X Echizen interaction. (Thoughts and flashbacks do not count)

One more thing. While I may have more humour in the chapters now as compared to the chapters where Echizen 'died', do note that my fics are not dominated by humour. I would only insert comical scenes sparingly.

**ShangriLa Merffles**, lol. I liked how you called the Atobe X Fuji pairing. Tofu pair. XD

**Ohtori Choutarou**, yup, I am sure that there are no Atobe X Fuji pairing. Atobe too will be marrying an OC in the sequel. Okay. No more spoilers.

**bellashade**, he only went to Germany in the anime. In the manga he went to Kyuushu. Poor thing though. In the anime, the whole Seigaku team went to visit him, while in the manga, no one went to see him.

**mimikitty**, I think you will kill me for these two chapters. (both Echizen, Our Buchou and Life After Seigaku), coz I've reduced the interaction between Tez and Echizen. Just testing to see if anyone would prefer it that way, or would they prefer more fluff. Sigh…yeah, Fuji would go well with Kawamura (My fav pairing for Fuji), but I'd rather not write so many boy X boy couples. Would complicate my sequel. On a lighter note, Rikkai Dai intermission in the next chapter. (grins)

**Milky Etoile**, O.o I do hope you did not go about drawing measurements for Fuji and Kikumaru's dresses in your maths test. Even if you did, be sure to NOT mention my name to your teacher. I am not guilty. XD

**Yei**, don't worry. Not offended. Improvement is a good thing after all, so I'm flattered. Wonder if Tezuka should have a nosebleed again in later chapters…

**Harry Draco Malfoy**, I still think medical attention is more important for Ryoma's recovery. If Tezuka could kiss him and he would instantly recover, that would be a fairytale. XD. If Tezuka were to travel to and fro between Tokyo and Kyuushu on a regular basis, I think that'd cost him a bomb, and I don't think his dad can afford one.

**Maggie**, good guess. You've managed to guess two out of three correctly. (I'm not telling which have you guessed wrong. You'll just have to read on. :p)

It seems that many of you liked the idea of Fuji and Kikumaru dressed as princesses. A pity I can't draw to save my life, or I would have done so already. But if any of you do draw a fanart of this, be sure to PM me the link. I'd love to see. (fantasizing…)

Alright, to the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 16

"Members, get in line now." Atobe ordered as they finally had their first practice after the School Anniversary.

The club's existing 12 players had just increased to a good 80 members, all thanks to their efforts during the three co-curricular days. Of course, that number was nothing as compared to some other clubs. (The English Language Society had 110 members). Still, compared to the other sports clubs, theirs had the most members.

"Now this is more like a tennis club. Right, Tezuka?" Atobe smirked.

"Aa." As usual, the Kanto High captain spoke few words, preferring to let his vice-captain do all the talking.

"I've put all you new members into groups. Also, I've placed the regulars and the four existing members as leaders of your groups. Refer to the board over there to see which team you belong to." Atobe instructed.

He gave Tezuka a glance. The Kanto High captain nodded slightly. With that, Atobe turned back to face the members.

"Ore-sama will hear no objections from all you people. You're dismissed to your teams." He said.

Everyone rushed to take a glance at the boards. The first years were under the care of the four existing non-regulars, sophomores were under the Golden Pair, Kira and Asakawa, while third years were under the captain, vice-captain, Fuji and Yamato.

Well, now they had the members. The only problem was, only a handful of them could actually play tennis. The rest came either out of curiosity, or were there just to try it out. Of course, after seeing how the third years performed, Atobe was twitching on the spot. "This is not going as ore-sama's hoping for…" he muttered.

Tezuka said nothing, observing the members with his arms crossed. After a while, he walked over to the courts.

"Third-years, form a line. We'll be doing warm ups first, and after that you would all be practicing against your vice-captain and I." He announced.

Atobe and Fuji watched on as Tezuka and Yamato led the members to do some light exercise.

"Tezuka sure is hardworking, isn't he?" Fuji asked, his smile intact.

"He's just trying to keep his mind occupied." Atobe replied quietly.

After Tezuka had made sure that all the members were ready, he inclined his head slightly in Atobe's direction, and the vice-captain went to join the other two in training the new members.

Fuji gave a sigh. He really admired Tezuka for his strong composure, considering how Tezuka must be feeling at the moment. For it had only been a week ago…

……………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………

::Flashback::

_Tezuka had, of course, mentioned Ryoma's decision to go to Kyuushu to all the former Seigaku members in the K-High team._

_To everyone's surprise, Atobe had then offered to take care of Ryoma's transportation and lodging._

"_Ore-sama will loan you one of my private jets. Ore-sama has so many of those already, so ore-sama suppose I could allow you to use one. Of course, you would need a batch of bodyguards and servants to watch over you once you're there. It wouldn't do good if ore-sama's worthy opponent were to be ambushed when he's in such a state." _

_Ryoma was clearly looking insulted. 'I know I'm blind. Hurray…go ahead and rub it in then, Monkey King.'_

_Atobe ran a hand through his hair. "Be awed by ore-sama's love for charity." He finished his speech._

_Tezuka frowned. 'Atobe' and 'Charity' couldn't exist in the same sentence. Atobe must have other reasons to be helping Ryoma._

_Later, according to Inui's data, it was revealed that apparently Atobe still felt responsible over Ryoma's injury, since it had been a former member of his family who had hit him. He compensated for this by dealing with all the expenses required for the treatment. _

_Of course, Atobe refused to admit that out loud. _

_XXX_

_The arrangements were made swiftly. Two days later, the former Seigaku regulars were all gathered at the airport to send Ryoma off. _

"_Ochibi! Make sure you don't forget us!" It was a good thing Oishi's hand was on Kikumaru's shoulder, or the baby of the tennis team would have been crushed._

"_Eiji! He's not going for that long. Echizen, have you packed everything you need? Did you remember to bring an extra blanket? It's going to be cold on the plane. Be sure to give a call once you've reached Kyuushu safely." Oishi was now fussing over the Seigaku captain._

"_Oishi-senpai…this is not my first time on a plane. You don't have to be that worried." Ryoma frowned._

_Fuji chuckled. "That's just Oishi's character. We hope to see you again soon."_

_Inui was the next to bid him goodbye. "Echizen. I'll be keeping an eye on the regulars during your absence, so be sure to recover quickly. By the way, I have here with me my latest creation- Inui's special Revitalizing Pumpkin Juice. Take it with you. I'm sure it would help you recover faster."_

_Ryoma had turned green. While he wasn't able to see the beverage, he sure as hell could smell it. Who wouldn't? It smelt like a blend of roses, garlic, old socks and cow dung._

"_Keep that away from him, Inui." Fortunately, Tezuka saved him from a horrible death._

_The Kanto High captain was now facing his successor. Everyone looked on curiously to see how these two would bid each other farewell. To their disappointment, both of them remained quiet._

_Finally, Tezuka spoke up. "Be safe, Ryoma."_

"_Usu."_

_More minutes ticked by. Tezuka had a very strong urge to hug the younger boy, but he knew that once he did so, he might change his mind about letting Ryoma go at all, so he kept himself in check._

"_Echizen-san. It's time to leave." One of the flight attendants told him._

_A young man assigned by Atobe to become Ryoma's personal servant then walked up to the Seigaku captain, putting on hand on his shoulder to guide him. Ryoma turned away from all the regulars. "I will be going now…"he said quietly._

"_Aa." No more words were spoken as Ryoma boarded the plane, and before long, the jet had taken off. Everyone watched as the plane was soon only a speck in the distance._

::End of Flashback::

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

First Years

"Everyone, you're to swing your rackets 200 times." One of the group leaders ordered.

The first years were the easiest to handle, as they obeyed without any objections, swinging the racket while counting out loud, while the four non-regulars, all second years, watched on.

"Ne…what's the purpose of this anyway, senpai?" One of the first years asked curiously.

"To build stamina of course, and also to let you get used to the racket. I think so far your weapon had been your pen only all these times." The sophomore nudged his head towards the other two groups. "I would say your practice is only a warm up compared to what your seniors are doing."

"That's true…" the first years had no complaints as they looked at the other two teams.

XXX

Second Years

"Senpai-tachi. Please do 30 sit-ups and 30 push-ups. After that we'll be training left-right dashes. If any of you are unwell, please inform us." Oishi told them.

"Eh? That's too much!" Some of them protested.

Kikumaru grinned. "That's nothing nya! We regulars have to do double that amount, so let's not waste anymore time. In fact, I'll do warm ups with you senpais." Surely enough, Kikumaru began to lead everyone to do sit-ups.

"Is he always this energetic?" Kira wondered aloud. Kikumaru had not just finished his warm up exercises faster than the other, but he was also doing left right dashes at a speed that nearly made him create illusions of himself.

"Eiji! They would not be able to catch up at this rate. Honestly." Oishi took over from his doubles partner, leading the poor, confused batch of seniors with the left right dashes exercise.

Asakawa sighed. "I think Kikumaru's just glad that the club has this many members now, so he's trying to attract everyone's attention. You know his character."

"Alright. We'll take a break now. After that, we'll try some simple returns." Oishi told them.

He glanced towards the other courts. "I wonder how Tezuka and the others are doing. It would not be so easy to deal with the third years."

XXX

Third Years

"Keep it up. 3 more laps to go." Tezuka called from the back, jogging behind the third year members to keep an eye on them.

Atobe led all of them, occasionally throwing an arrogant glance at his seniors. "What's wrong? Even snails can run faster than this. Quicken your pace." He ordered.

"Atobe!" Tezuka chided.

Fuji and Yamato jogged alongside all the players. "Saa…it's been a while since we ran in such a big group. How nostalgic." Fuji smiled.

Tezuka had been quite lenient with the members since they were still new to the club, so he only gave them 5 laps. (which was still quite a lot, since the courts were the size of a football stadium, all thanks to Atobe)

Once all of them were done with their laps, Tezuka allowed them some time to cool off first.

"Minna. We would be having some practice matches after this. I will show you the basics in a while, so please take note of it." Tezuka nodded to Fuji and Atobe, who did the demonstrations while Tezuka explained the overall rules.

He had to keep a straight face as everyone looked awed by Atobe and Fuji's match. Those two were only playing at an elementary student's level. If they were so impressed by just this, who knew how their reactions would be if Fuji and Atobe really went all out in their match.

The demonstration was short, lasting only around 10 minutes. When both Atobe and Fuji had stopped playing, Tezuka turned his attention back to the third years. "Any questions?"

Taking their silence as an answer, Yamato then put them into groups to try playing against each other. It was only a simple practice, for them to try out the sport, so each team would only play for ten minutes.

Well…to describe the first try…terrible was an understatement.

"Ah! Sumimasen!" One of the players said hurriedly as his return smacked Atobe on the head. The vice-captain's attention was directed towards another court, and had not seen the ball coming.

Atobe looked like he was going to reply with a smart remark, but the glare from Tezuka kept him in check. Frowning, Atobe tried to phrase his reply as lightly as possible, so as to prevent himself from indulging in a free wasabi sushi buffet.

"Don't worry about it. It was only ore-sama's beautiful skull that was hit, and it is only a bruise on ore-sama's beautiful face. Of course, I am feeling nice today, so ore-sama will not send my lawyers after you."

There. Now that was a humble reply, wasn't it? So why was Tezuka twitching like that?

"Ten laps, Atobe." Tezuka's voice was emotionless; though the hidden wrath in it was so deadly that Atobe began running without a protest.

The captain then turned back to the third-year, who looked extremely guilt-stricken. "Don't worry about it. You're still new to this. You'll catch up eventually."

For the most part, everything went well with the first practice, however, not everyone was so cooperative.

During one of the practice matches, in which Fuji was the referee, one of the players had hit the ball badminton-styled, and the shot flew out of the courts.

"Out! 30-0" Fuji announced.

Immediately the third year looked highly discontented. "What do you mean 30-0? That point was mine! The ball went over the other side of the net!"

"Your shot was out of the courts, so you lose a point there." Fuji stated calmly.

Of course, the third year would not back down, stubbornly insisting that Fuji had counted wrong.

"The most important thing is that the ball went over the net." He growled.

"That shot was out. According to the rules, only shots within the courts could be counted as a point. Now please return to the game." Fuji's eyes were open, not liking how the senior was snapping at him.

"Talk about bad sportsmanship." Yamato chuckled, while Atobe had walked over to the courts.

"Oi. There are winners, and there are losers. You've lost a point there, so ore-sama would suggest that you quit your sniveling and accept your loss."

Instead of getting back to the game, of course, things had gotten worse as a few more of the seniors began voicing their protests.

"Such an arrogant first year! Have you no respect for your seniors?"

"Why is this club's regulars consisting of mainly first-years anyway?"

"Stupid club with its stupid rules."

Tezuka sighed and took a deep breath.

"Everyone. Stop practice now and gather here!" He ordered so fiercely that everyone's bickering came to a halt.

This order only applied to the third years, and the first and second years, who had made no protests so far were spared. Though most of them had stopped practice to look at their seniors curiously anyway.

Tezuka's glare washed over the seniors, especially the ones who had protested. He studied all of them a while before speaking.

"Every club has its own set of rules, as does every sport. Tennis is a sport played by the rules. The game is not just about enjoyment, as it is also about character building. This club emphasizes heavily on discipline. Even if you're new members, I will not tolerate insolence."

Most of the third years had remained respectfully silent. Not all were that accommodating though, as a few did not like the idea of being ordered around by a first year.

"We want to have our own set of rules. The current rules are stupid, probably created by you freshmen. Heck, this is the only club in school that is run mainly by a first year captain and vice-captain. I don't like this kind of club."

Tezuka's glasses flashed dangerously. He wasn't joking when he said he hated people who would not toe the line, since that was how he was brought up by his ever-strict grandfather. Even if these were third years, he would not tolerate their cheek.

Before Tezuka could say anything, Atobe had spoken up first.

"Such bravery, to challenge our management of the club. We kept this club alive when all other clubs were shutting down, and where had you people been then, ahn? You have no right to make such complaints."

"Yamato-senpai…it looks like this will not be resolved so easily. Come to think of it, why did these people join the club if they know nothing about tennis and its rules?" Fuji frowned slightly.

Yamato gave a light-hearted chuckle. "I wonder if it has anything to do with two princesses parading around that day?" he teased, causing Fuji to go red in the face.

"Don't remind me of that again." Fuji groaned in dismay.

Atobe had gone into full-fledged Ice Emperor mode as he pinned everyone with his icy gaze, and the whole team could have sworn that the temperature had dropped by a few degrees.

"Ore-sama challenge all those who think themselves worthy to take over our positions to a match. It will be one point match, so you only need to score once to win against us. If you win, we would gladly give up our positions. If you lose, you are to leave the club immediately. Nothing disgusts me more than disloyal subjects."

The wiser ones had kept their mouth shut. A handful of third years, the ones who had protested in the first place, looked highly delighted at Atobe's declaration. Just one point? It was too easy! "You had better keep your word. If we can get one point from all of you, you're to give up your post, freshmen!"

Meanwhile, the second years were looking highly uncomfortable. "Shouldn't someone stop them? Honestly, I don't think they should be that particular about age. Tezuka and Atobe had proven themselves to be splendid with their roles after all." Kira asked, noting the unease.

Oishi shook his head. "I believe they know what they're doing. This is a chance to see the ones who have joined out of interest, and the ones who have joined just for the sake of the 20 percent allocated to co-curricular activities."

Kikumaru nodded. "Minna-san. Please watch carefully, and decide for yourselves if those two deserve to be called captain and vice-captain." He told the first, second and the remaining third years who were spectators.

"Hmph, what's with the scary face, you arrogant first year captain. Take that!" he fired a shot.

The next moment, the shot was returned to him so fast that he did not even have time to blink before he found the ball rolling towards his feet.

Tezuka looked up. "Next!"

The one facing Atobe had no luck either, as all of Atobe's shots were very clean and swift. "Ore-sama no bigi ni yoi na!" he gloated.

Needless to say, against this bunch of players who were all just talk, and with as much tennis skills as a penguin, the captain and vice-captain effectively shut all their mouths in 15 minutes flat.

"Anyone else?" Tezuka looked around to see if there were anymore foolish challengers.

Seeing no one else, Tezuka turned back to the few seniors. "This will be your last day in the club. Since you refuse to follow the rules, you're all dismissed. I expect to see your resignation letter by tomorrow."

A shiver ran through all the other members. Tezuka was definitely a serious, no-nonsense type of person who was to be both respected and feared. There was no doubt about that. Atobe too was not to be crossed, or it might spell a painful death for them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once the bad eggs were removed from the club, at least one problem was solved as the ones left were members who were truly interested in the sport.

After that, all the students had their mid-term exam in June, and Tezuka found himself facing another problem.

Of course, his grades weren't a problem, as once more, he bagged second place, just one place below Fuji, while Atobe bagged fourth, defeated only by one member of the computer club.

No. It was after the results were posted when the problem arose. Currently, Tezuka was facing one of them.

"Anou…Tezuka-kun…I really like you…so…anou…eto…" The girl before him was having severe difficulties with stringing the words into a sentence, and Tezuka's frown worsened.

She glanced up. "Could I see your report card…er…I mean, will you go out with me?"

Tezuka sighed. This was not a situation he was unfamiliar with, since amongst the tennis club members back when he was in Seigaku, his fanclub had been the largest, followed on by Fuji's.

"I'm sorry. I'm already seeing someone." He rejected her as gently as he could.

The girl looked disappointed. "Oh." She walked away with her head bowed.

No sooner had that girl left than another girl took her place. "Tezuka-kun. This is for you." She handed him a letter. There was no doubt about the contents, not with all the lace and hearts decorating the letter. It even smelt faintly of perfume.

Tezuka gave the same reply, though unlike the other girl, this one did not take it too nicely.

"Who's that girl? Tezuka-kun, I've loved you for such a long time, even more than that girl you're seeing. I will die if you reject me. Please go out with me."

"No." Tezuka said firmly.

She immediately burst into tears, and Tezuka had the nasty flashback of someone similar. It was a good thing this girl wasn't as noisy as that one had been though.

"Tezuka-kun, onegai. I don't think that girl loves you more than I do."

At that, Tezuka's glasses flashed, silencing her.

"The one I'm dating nearly died to save my life, so don't you dare say that." He spoke quietly, walking away from her.

Well, each of the regulars received confessions, though Asakawa and Yamato were the only ones who had accepted. Atobe had enjoyed the attention, of course, but accepted none of the girls. He had felt that none were worthy of him.

If Tezuka thought he had it bad with all the confessions he was receiving, Fuji and Kikumaru were worse off, as they seemed to have not just a girl fanclub, but a _guy_ fanclub as well.

"Fuji-kun! I am deeply in love with you. Will you go out with me?" Yet one more member of the same gender was confessing to him, and the tensai had the strong urge to run.

"Gomen. I can't accept your feelings." Once more, he gave his reply.

He looked ahead just as Kikumaru shot past him, with a guy chasing the redheaded acrobatic-player.

"Kikumaru-sama!" The bulky male admirer had his arms outstretched.

Fuji shuddered, highly thankful that so far, his fanclubs weren't this crazy.

"Oishi! Help me!" Kikumaru yelped, still running for his life.

Of course, Oishi went to his doubles partner's aid. However, the love-stricken boy looked a thousand times fiercer than the gentle-natured motherhen, so he was not much of a defender for Kikumaru.

It was only after Tezuka came to rescue his tennis club regulars did the man back off, throwing Kikumaru one last puppy look, though the acrobatic player did not see it as he had been hiding behind Oishi.

XXX

At practice that day, all the regulars came in different states. Atobe looked rather pleased with himself, smirking all the way to the courts, and boasting to anyone who would listen about how many confessions he had received that day.

Tezuka had been there earlier, looking highly irritable from having to repeat the same answer over and over again to all his fangirls.

Fuji arrived at the courts with a very strained smile, having to turn down so many girls and guys alike.

The Golden Pair were looking tired from all the racing about, while Kira looked as usual, as he was the one least affected by all the confessions he received.

Finally, Yamato and Asakawa arrived, both beaming with such happiness on their faces, it was obvious that they were glad with their girlfriends.

If it wasn't bad enough that the regulars were hounded by fans, the club was hounded as well, by scouts. The ones who came during the school anniversary were back, and they could be seen all around the sides of the courts, all carrying cameras and notebooks.

"Hmph. Our club sure is popular, though that's natural, of course, since ore-sama is vice-captain." Atobe smirked, posing as the cameras clicked away. "Those idiots can go ahead and collect as much information as they want. They can't defeat us after all, no matter how much they try to.

Tezuka ignored all the spies, ordering for practice to be resumed. "The Kantou games are next month. Don't let your guard down. Third year and second years, proceed to the second court for practice, first years, you would all be in the third court. Regulars, remain in this court. That's all. Carry on with practice."

Everyone left to their respective courts. Tezuka had chosen two leaders for each group, and currently, the leaders were giving orders for practice.

Meanwhile, the regulars formed a line before Tezuka and Atobe, all waiting for instructions.

"As mentioned, it is only a month to go before the games, and we would be having another regulars' selection. Don't get careless." Tezuka told them.

Atobe nodded. "We would most likely be seeing more familiar faces, since most schools would allow first years to join as regulars after half a year. Make sure none of you lose, or you'll embarrass ore-sama."

"We wouldn't lose nya." Kikumaru protested.

Atobe smirked. He looked thoughtful for a while. "This club is almost perfect. Just one more detail that needs to be dealt with…"

"Hmm?" Tezuka gave Atobe a questioning glance, though the diva did not elaborate on what he was saying. Judging from the smirk on Atobe's face, it couldn't be something good.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Some time later

"You have got to be kidding me…" Asakawa muttered, dropping his bag.

Tezuka was nowhere in sight, since he had gone to have a word with Ayaka-sensei regarding the selections. Atobe was left in charge of the club, and currently, the diva was standing before all the members, and looked to be playing the role of conductor for their chants.

"Atobe! Atobe! Atobe!" The diva was obviously establishing his own cheering squad in the school.

"Very good, my loyal subjects. Now, when ore-sama tilt my hands at this angle, you're all to chant 'The winner is Atobe, the loser is…put the opponent's name here. For now, just chant 'the winner is Atobe'" With that, the club members began their chant again.

"Is he insane?" Asakawa asked, walking over to the other regulars, who were all watching the scene in amusement.

"Atobe's like that. Now we see how he managed to get all the Hyotei members to cheer for him." Fuji chuckled.

"His ego really is ten times the normal size of a normal human's." Kira shook his head.

"Nope. It's a hundred times more." Kikumaru corrected.

Oishi sighed. "Thank goodness Tezuka isn't here, or he might have a heart attack."

Atobe snapped his fingers, and to his disgust, the members had continued chanting.

"Wrong! When ore-sama snap my fingers, you're all to cease your cheers immediately. Start over!" Atobe snapped.

A few minutes later, the cheering squad made a mistake again, as some of the members chanted "The winner is Atobe." , some chanted "K-High!" , while the rest chanted "The loser is…"

"Wrong! Your chants are all messed up! Start over! Hmph, being vice-captain sure is difficult. Be awed by ore-sama's dedication to the club."

"This fellow…" Asakawa groaned.

Not too long later, one of the spies sent out by Atobe was seen dashing back. "Atobe fukubuchou-sama! Tezuka-buchou is on his way back!" he yelled.

Atobe immediately turned to all the members. "You're all to start practice. Now!"

Everyone fled to their respective courts, and just in time too as Tezuka had just emerged from one of the corners, walking towards the club. He studied all the members practicing, but noticed that nothing was amiss. With a soft, satisfied 'hmph', Tezuka then sat down on one of the benches, studying a list he held in his hands.

Fuji and Asakawa were engaged in a match against Atobe and Yamato.

The tensai chuckled. "Interesting. Who would have known that you could actually be so afraid of Tezuka."

"I'm not afraid of Tezuka. Ore-sama am a thousand times better than he is." Atobe lied. He hated to admit it, but Tezuka could be really scary when he was angry. Being in the same team as the Kanto High captain for over 6 months had shown the diva that.

Fuji chuckled. "Is that so? Then it shouldn't matter if I share some pictures with Tezuka? I would really love to show him our cheering squad's progress." 'I still have to repay the favour for you dressing me up as a girl that day. Revenge sure is sweet…'

Atobe paled slightly as the sadist smiled serenely at him. The diva was startled when Tezuka suddenly called for him.

"I would like a word with you, Atobe."

He walked over, hoping that Tezuka did not get his hands on any of Fuji's pictures. To his relief, the Kanto High captain was only holding a list of the players who qualified to participate in the regulars' selections.

"These are all those who would be joining. Ayaka-sensei has agreed with me that it is not necessary for everyone to join, since many of them are still new to this sport. Atobe, I would leave it to you to make the announcement." Tezuka told him.

Atobe took a look at the list, smirking slightly. "This should be interesting. Very well then. Ore-sama suppose we'll be having the ranking matches as well?"

"Aa."

Atobe gave a slight snort. "The results are obvious. Ore-sama would be number one in this club."

"Don't jump to conclusions too soon, Atobe." Tezuka's glasses flashed. The captain then lifted up a bunch of pictures. "Now then. Care to explain what this is about?"

Atobe's arrogant smirk was still intact on his face, though inwardly he gulped.

"Carry on without me a while, Kantarou-kun." Fuji said as he had whipped out his camera.

"Fuji. If Tezuka-kun catches you not doing practice, I don't think he would be happy." Yamato warned.

Fuji chuckled. "I'm willing to take that risk. I don't think many people can make Atobe show that expression. This should go well in my collection."

The smiling tensai began to laugh softly. Yamato and Asakawa decided to ignore the sadist. In fact, they decided to play on and pretend they didn't recognize the tensai. It would be much safer not to get themselves involved.

Tezuka's glasses flashed again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mid June-Regulars Selection 

"Let's go! Kanto High!" The members cheered as the players participating in the selections did warm-ups.

Atobe had managed to train his cheering squad to perfection. Of course, Tezuka wasn't pleased, though the captain did not have a say in this, since he had lost to Atobe. Again. For some reason, Tezuka was never able to win against Atobe in the diva's favourite peasants game. Looked like the scores were even between them after all.

"Ganbatte, Oishi!" Kikumaru cheered as Oishi's game was currently amongst the earliest. Tezuka and Fuji were in Block A. Oishi and Yamato were in Block B. Atobe and Kira were in Block C, while Kikumaru and Asakawa were in Block D.

It was a good thing that this round, there weren't any spies around, and so they could have their games in peace. Tezuka finished his game in 8 minutes flat, as did Atobe.

"Block A/Block C, Tezuka Kunimitsu/Atobe Keigo. 6 games to 0." Both of them said at the same time, and the first-year who was in charge of writing the scores sweatdropped at seeing how competitive the captain and vice-captain were against each other, both not wishing to be slower than the other.

Not too long later, Oishi's game has ended, and the moon volley player gave his scores to the first year. It seemed that all the regulars were a cut above the rest, as all of them defeated their opponents with perfect 6 games to 0 scores.

Before long, the regulars were facing each other. Tezuka defeated Fuji in Block A, Yamato defeated Oishi in Block B. Atobe defeated Kira in Block C.

As for Asakawa, he still had one more opponent to go before facing Kikumaru.

"My opponent's a first year? How boring." Sophomore Tokei stared down at the speedy player.

Asakawa stared up at the senior, who towered over him. He gulped slightly at seeing how bulky his opponent was.

"Ah. Tokei Kotou. I don't like him at all." Fuji muttered softly.

"How come?" Oishi asked curiously.

Fuji's blue eyes opened slightly. "This guy's very rude. There was once he had stepped on one of my cacti that had rolled out of my bag, flattening it. He didn't apologize at all, of course."

XXX

Fuji could still remember the demise of one of his beloved cacti. The senior had not apologized. On the other hand…

"_Why have you brought such a thing to school? It's your own fault for not keeping it properly, girly-boy._"

Fuji had taken his revenge by lacing the senior's lunch with wasabi, and was highly satisfied to see Tokei racing around with his hand over his mouth.

XXX

All of them turned their attention back to the game. Both sides were keeping their service games well. In terms of stamina, Asakawa had the advantage. In terms of power, on the other hand, Asakawa was nowhere near reaching Tokei's level.

"I am not on anyone's side for this, but from what I see, Tokei is a power player, and a very strong one at that. Also, it looks like he has some experience in tennis." Oishi stated.

Fuji frowned. "Perhaps, but Asakawa has improved greatly as compared to when he had first entered the club. He has really become a fine player."

"Tie-break!" the referee announced.

The sophomore gave Asakawa a smirk. "The winner will be me." He declared.

Asakawa merely smiled. "We'll see about that."

To be continued…

A/N: Muahahaha! I've managed to finish this before my tests. Now I'll just have to deal with the other story.

I've decided to do a change of pace, after one of my cousins pointed out to me that my stories are getting to be a bit too much to the romantic side. (And Tezuka and Echizen are NOT supposed to be the romantic types). Should I tone down on their relationship, like what I did in this chapter, or was this chapter a torture to read without them? All in all, this would be one of the few which are completely interaction free between those two.

I know I made the scene where Echizen left for Kyuushu to be pretty unromantic, but I guessed that it would most likely be how they would behave when they were in public. Hope to get feedback for this.

About Atobe being mildly afraid of Tezuka…well…I think it might be rather OOC of him, but don't worry. Even if he is freaked out by the scary Kanto High captain, he will keep it all to himself, and would not show it on his face. Feedback for this as well, if possible.

Initially, I was about to kick both Atobe and Tezuka off their posts, and give the position of captain and vice-captain to Yamato and Kira respectively. It was a good thing my cousin and friends managed to persuade me out of this. Hehe.

Once more, voting time! This round, the contestants are the OC Asakawa and the OC Tokei. One of them would join the regulars and become Fuji's doubles' partner. So who would it be? Speed type Asakawa, or Power player Tokei.

**A. Keep Asakawa and cream Tokei. He's a jerk and would not work well with Fuji, and I prefer speedy types.**

Or

**B. Kick Asakawa and welcome Tokei. We don't have a power player in the group and it should be interesting to watch Fuji fight with him.**

Be warned that the OC you choose will affect the outcome in the Nationals. Saa…good luck voting then…Ufufufu…

**Please Read and Review. No flames please. Hope to get feedback and votes in your reviews**.

-Gwyn


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. I only own my OCs.**

**Warning: May contain spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. Very long chapter**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen. Sanada X Yukimura**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 15 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: Ehehe. To be honest, the voting thingy for the previous chapter was actually a test. I was checking to see if I've actually managed to make Asakawa a likeable OC, and decided to use this as a way to check if I was successful or not. Judging by the way more than 90 percent of the reviewers have voted for him, looks like I was. Arigatou for all your votes, minna.

I think I would reveal one more thing. I've mentioned at the end of the previous chapter that one of the pairings would affect the Nationals. My sadistic side booby-trapped the second option. If Tokei had won, Asakawa and Fuji would leave the team. (I did hint that they couldn't get along at all. Especially since Tokei killed one of Fuji's precious cacti.) I really am the Queen of Sadists…ufufufu..

Alrighty then. I think I'm evil enough as it is. Time to focus on the main plot now. **I do hope you have all read Echizen, Our Buchou first before reading this chapter, as parts of it would come after the events in Echizen, Our Buchou, so anyone who reads this first might get confused. **

There will be a Gary Sue OC in my fic. (I think it's pretty obvious who that person is), but don't worry, he won't be making much of an appearance.

It really is a torture trying to write a completely fluffless fic. I guess even I am a sucker for Tezuka X Echizen moments. I will still tone them down if necessary, but as some of you have requested, the chapters would not be completely devoid of Tezuka X Echizen interactions.

**A thousand thanks to everyone who reviewed**. I've placed the review replies at the bottom of the page as this chapter is really too long.

To the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 17

::Intermission-Rikkai Dai::

"Ahahahaha…"

It was finally June. Rikkai Dai's players were, once again, having their selections. This time, even the first years were included. As was their tradition, they started off by running laps around the whole school compound.

At the moment, the regulars of Rikkai were doing a good job running…then again, why wouldn't they? It seemed that a certain glasses wearing, data specialist had finally gone mad.

"Ahahahahaha…"

"What's wrong with him?" Taki asked curiously, running with his cousin Hiro.

Yanagi frowned, thinking a while. "Well…according to my data, Sadaharu would sometimes laugh like that when he's excited over something."

"Excited over something? I don't like the sounds of that." Sanada threw a wary look at the data player. Inui was holding his notebook as he ran, scribbling something occasionally.

"It's perfected…it's finally perfected…" he was muttering to himself.

Everyone paled. For Inui to be this happy, it definitely couldn't be anything good.

"What's perfected?" Hiro asked curiously, though Taki had begun running faster.

"Whatever it is, I don't care and I don't want to know!"

Inui finally looked up at the other players. "Oh? If you all really must know, I've the perfect tonic for the selections. I've improvised it, and tested it repeatedly on the Seigaku players. It's perfect! Absolutely flawless! Take a look." He showed all the others his notebook. They didn't need to read the ingredients, as Inui's illustrations spoke volumes.

That got them all running faster. Every single one of the Rikkai Dai players (even Inui himself) have had the experience of trying out Inui's inventions before, and it was enough to scar them for life.

"Come on, Yukimura! Don't let him catch up!" Sanada had seized the blue-haired boy's hand and was literally dragging him away from the data tennis player. There was no way he would let his Seiichi fall victim to Inui's creations again.

"Not fair!" Hiro waved a fist at the couple. Sanada's determination to get his boyfriend out of harm's way worked as now both of them had put quite a distance between themselves and the other regulars.

A pair of glasses glinted right behind the feminine looking player, and even Hiro sped off, joining Sanada and Yukimura.

"Whoever is last will have to drink this. I need a test subject from Rikkai. You can't run away…" Inui was sounding like a crazy version of Ibu Shinji as he continued muttering.

His doubles partner wasn't helping matters either. "There is a 90 percent probability that this tastes worse than your old Exploding Popcorn. Probably deadlier than his Kurozu. There should be a 30 percent increase in those admitted into the hospital for food poisoning after this."

(A/N: Kuroi – Black)

"Yanagi-kun. Please stop…" vice-captain Sano groaned.

The motherhen captain of Rikkai Dai was now running and glancing back at the same time. "Minna-san, please pick up your pace. Don't be last or you'll have to try Inui's new drink." He called out worriedly.

"Kirihara-buchou. Worry about yourself first! You're almost the last!" his regulars yelled back.

Inui had put on a hurt look. "You make it sound like my inventions are bad. It's a really balanced diet, you know. In fact, you can even take it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It keeps you healthy."

"It keeps me from _taking_ breakfast, lunch and dinner." Taki muttered.

Kirihara Akira suddenly raised a finger and pointed ahead. "There's the finish line! Let's go, Rikkai Dai!"

XXX

At least half of the club members have sacrificed their innocent lives, thanks to Inui's latest Fatigue-No-More.

As for the rest who have managed, they were either trying to get their breathing and heartbeat back to normal, or they were being counseled for trauma by the mother hen captain.

"Ii data." Inui was happily updating the results of his tonic in his notebook. Yanagi was writing in his notebook too, as he was busy counting the number of deceased players.

"Man…is this why Seigaku was so powerful last year?" Marui Bunta asked.

The gentleman Yagyuu wiped his forehead on his sleeve. "You've only just realized that?"

The former junior high regulars would have a chance to compete for the spot again this round, and all of them were looking eager. Marui Bunta was chewing his bubblegum rapidly, Jackal was busy shaving his head, and Niou was grinning evilly at several first-years, causing them to back off. As for Yagyuu, well the gentleman was as calm as always, preferring to direct his attention to Yukimura and Sanada, both of whom were talking softly to each other, with Yukimura chuckling every now and then.

Kirihara Akira clapped his hands twice, and everyone hurried to get in line.

"Alright, listen up. We will be starting the regulars' selection shortly. The last time we had Seigaku's captain to help us with our selections, but unfortunately, this round we do not have the privilege. This time, our selections would be different again. As you all know, the motto for the Rikkai King is that 'losing is not permitted'. Each of you would have one chance to compete for the position of regulars. The existing 8 members will be in 8 different courts, and you are all free to challenge them to a match. If you win, you may take their place. Similarly, if someone else wins you after that, that person will take your place. Any questions?"

He paused a while to allow his club members to speak up. As no one seemed to have any enquiries, he continued on. "Those who wish to challenge Sano, Yukimura-kun, Sanada-kun and I would have to face us in a singles match. However, those who wish to challenge Yanagi-kun, Inui-kun, Hiro-kun and Taki-kun would have to challenge them in a doubles match. If you're intending to do so, I do hope that you have a partner to pair up with for the match."

The captain paused again as some of the members began whispering amongst themselves, all excited over the idea of going against the regulars. Sano cleared his throat, and everyone became quiet again.

"Lastly…make sure you're in the perfect condition to play. If any of you are feeling unwell, or if you're sick, please tell me; and I'll fetch the Red Crescent Society immediately. If any of you have personal problems, I'm willing to listen. Also, if any of you…"

(A/N: Red Crescent Society is something like St John's Ambulance, in case any of you were wondering)

"Kirihara-buchou…let's start the selections." The vice-captain cut off the mother hen captain, his lips twitching slightly.

"Ah. You're right. Regulars, proceed to your courts now. The rest of you, please pick the court you wish to compete in and we will call for you when it is your turn." With that said, the older Kirihara picked up his racket and walked towards the first court.

Inui and Yanagi made their way to the fifth court, striking a conversation as they went.

"Sadaharu. I've calculated a 99 percent chance that we're most likely going to have the least challengers, since the loser would have to be your test subject. Also, there is a 95 percent chance that you're going to ask me to return that hundred yen you've lent me that day."

"Of course, Renji. However, I've calculated a 100 percent chance that you're going to tell me that you have no money with you at the moment, and that you're going to return my money some other day."

"Ah yes. I've bought myself a new pair of shoes and I've used up my allowance. By the way, Sadaharu, how many challengers do you think we will be having? According to my data, I'd say three."

Inui adjusted his glasses. "I'd say two and a half."

Yanagi's eyes opened ever so slightly, though soon enough they disappeared once again. "Two and a half? There is a hundred percent probability that you can't split a person into half."

Inui's glasses gleamed. "Whoever said anything about splitting a person into half? I meant that our first challenger is half-dead. Here he comes now."

Surely enough, one of those who had the honour of consuming Inui's Fatigue-No-More was now back for revenge, and he was walking unsteadily as he hasn't recovered yet from the drink's horrible side effects.

As Inui and Yanagi creamed the guy, they began chatting again.

"Do you think Kirihara-buchou is likely to lose?" Inui asked.

Yanagi flipped open his notebook with his left hand, while he was still playing with his right hand. "Hmm…Kirihara Akira. Left-hander, all-rounder type. Data about him is still very much incomplete. Favourite phase before and after every match is 'Are you okay? You're not hurt right?' So far, has only lost a few matches, but that's because he stopped the matches himself when his opponents looked unwell. He has not lost in an official match before though."

Inui frowned. "I've calculated only a 0.06 percent probability that he will lose. Rikkai Dai's rule is so strict that only the strongest can become captain after all."

The two data master stopped their conversation a while when they realized that their foolish challenger was sprawled on the ground. They didn't even notice that the match was over already.

"I don't think he can take anymore Fatigue-No-More if he's in that condition." Yanagi stated.

Inui merely smiled. "Don't worry. I'm a patient person. I will just wait until he's awake then."

XXX

The regulars have, of course, retained their positions.

Well, all of them did except one pair anyway.

"Game and match, won by, Niou-Yagyuu pair. 7 games to 6."

Somehow, Hiro and Taki had lost to the trickster and the gentleman. Then again, those two were formerly Rikkai Dai junior high's best doubles pair after all.

"Puri." Niou smirked, while Yagyuu merely stared at the two cousins calmly.

(A/N: I have no idea what 'puri' means, but Niou uses it a lot in the manga)

Sano Iruga walked over to the two. "You know the rules. Those two have now taken your places as regulars."

Hiro looked severely crestfallen. Taki said nothing as he patted his cousin's back to comfort him.

The captain had then come running over, giving them both a hug. "Gomen. I know you're both disappointed, but those two won the positions fair and square. I hope you're not feeling too down over this. Come back again in the next selections. Feel free to talk to me if you need to."

"We're alright, Kirihara-buchou. You don't have to worry for us like that." Hiro managed a small smile.

"That's right. Can't breathe…buchou." Taki wheezed.

The captain had released the both of them immediately, and now he was shaking Taki. "Can you breathe now? It'll be my fault if you're hurt."

Inui and Yanagi were scribbling madly in their notebooks as Taki tried to pry himself out of the worrywart's grasp. "Interesting. Kirihara-buchou would just have to shake him with 30 percent more than his current strength and Taki-senpai's shoulders might dislocate." Inui calculated.

"Aa."

The cousins walked over to Niou and Yagyuu, shaking their hands. "We'll leave it up to the both of you then."

"Of course." Yagyuu spoke up, giving Niou a pointed look to prevent him from making a sarcastic comment.

::End of Intermission::

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kanto High-Selections

"This is getting to be quite a nasty tiebreak nya." Kikumaru had his doubles partner in one of his friendly hugs, and the acrobatic player was looking severely bored while waiting for his turn.

Fuji's eyes were open. The current score was 3 to 4, with Asakawa leading. He hoped that his doubles partner would win. The tensai shuddered at the idea of playing doubles with Tokei.

"You can't possibly return my serves!" Tokei sneered, firing yet another power serve, and Asakawa had wisely dodged out of the way as it was aimed for his stomach.

"4 all." The referee announced.

"Tezuka…please stop this match now! At this rate, Asakawa will be hurt." Oishi said worriedly.

Kikumaru was waving a fist. "This guy really doesn't have any ethics now, does he? Mou! Quit aiming at Asakawa! You don't get any bonus points for hitting him."

"Tezuka!" Oishi tried to get the stoic captain's attention again, but the brunette merely watched on with his arms folded. It was Atobe who had spoken up instead.

"Don't worry too much, Oishi. I would say that Asakawa has the advantage here." Atobe gave his observations.

"I don't see it…" Oishi began, but Fuji spoke up next.

"Take a look at their breathing."

Tokei was sweating heavily, and he was completely out of breath. On the other hand, Asakawa's breathing was just slightly quicker than normal. Aside from that, he looked like he had barely played at all.

Oishi then understood. "I see. Asakawa's adrenaline control allows him to play prolonged matches, and he would not run out of stamina easily. On the other hand, Tokei is a power player, and all his shots require a lot of strength. Therefore, he would run out of energy faster than Asakawa does."

"5-4. Asakawa leads."

The speedy player wiped his brow slightly. "About time I get reckless." He said thoughtfully to himself as he braced for Tokei's power serve.

Tokei once more aimed at him; his face, this time.

Asakawa dashed forward, catching the shot neatly with his racket. Using all his reserved energy, he returned the shot with a burst of power.

"Whoa! He could actually hit a power shot?" Kikumaru asked. He glomped Oishi and was bouncing on the spot excitedly.

"I wouldn't say he's a power player, but I think with a burst of adrenaline, he could come up with a pretty strong shot. When had he learnt this anyway?" Fuji chuckled.

"Game and match, won by, Asakawa. 7 games to 6." The referee announced as the redheaded player scored yet another shot.

As Asakawa walked away, Tokei was left rooted to the spot. Moments later, however, he gave an angry snarl.

"Dammit!" He threw his racket at the speedy player.

"Kantarou! Watch out!" Fuji yelled in warning. Asakawa was caught off-guard. He couldn't avoid it even if he wanted to.

The next moment, a white racket had knocked away Tokei's racket, sending it crashing back at its owner's feet.

Apparently, Tezuka had the foresight to move to the courts once the match was done, as he had noticed Tokei's violent character. As he had expected, Tokei had attacked the redheaded regular, and Tezuka had only managed to defend him in time.

The K-High captain now glared at the bulky sophomore. While Tokei was at least an inch taller than Tezuka, and definitely of a larger built compared to the captain's lean frame, Tezuka's stare made him feel very much like a three-year-old caught stealing cookies from a jar.

"The racket…is not a tool used for injuring others." Tezuka spoke up sternly.

Tezuka folded his arms, pinning the sophomore with a calculating stare, as if deciding how many laps Tokei should be running.

"Ground. 30 rounds. Go. Oh, and when you've returned, Fuji would give you your next penalty."

The smiling tensai gave a chuckle that nearly made Tokei pee in his pants. "I will leave this box for you then. Enjoy." He placed the box of KSVWS on a bench, right where Tokei could see it.

(A/N: I think you people should know what KSVWS stands for by now. Tezuka's fav punishment. XD)

The power player was rooted to the spot for a while, his eyes fixed on the horrible box-of-death. The combined glare from both Tezuka and Atobe, however, snapped him out of his daze. As Tokei went to do his laps, Tezuka turned back to the others. "We'll take a short break. After this we will continue on with the rankings."

XXX

Kikumaru had beaten Asakawa yet again, making the acrobatic player the champion of Block D.

"Hoi hoi! You're ten years too early to beat Kikumaru-sama's acrobatics." Kikumaru grinned, making a victory sign to the speedy player.

Asakawa chuckled. "You're really good. I wonder what it'll be like to play in doubles with you."

Oishi chuckled at that. "He's a wonderful doubles player, I can assure you that. In fact, for all we know you might have the chance someday."

As the winners of the Blocks pitted against each other, Yamato was now Kanto High's number 3. Once more, the inevitable battle for K-High's number one position began again.

"How many times have I played against you already?" Tezuka sighed.

Atobe merely smirked in reply as he raised his hand, and his cheering squad had begun chanting.

"The winner is Atobe, the loser is Tezuka. The winner is Atobe, the loser is Tezuka. The winner is…"

He snapped his fingers, and all of them stopped chanting (save for one or two who weren't paying attention) He threw his jersey in the air and took his racket. "Ore da."

The next moment, Atobe turned to his cheering squad with a frown. "You peasants are still making mistakes with the chants. All of you face the wall and chant 'The winner is Atobe' 100 times!

"Atobe…just begin the match already." Tezuka felt a headache coming. This was why he was so dead against Atobe training a cheering squad. The diva's ego was already inflated enough as it is. Any more and Atobe might just explode on the spot.

"Ore-sama will be first, Tezuka!" Atobe fired a serve, starting the rally.

Tezuka returned it easily, and when Atobe caught the ball with his racket, his eyes widened slightly.

'Since when was Tezuka's shot this fast and this powerful?' he wondered.

Somehow, there was a noticeable gap between Tezuka and Atobe's level since the two have last played against each other.

"Isn't Atobe supposed to be around Tezuka's level? Why does he look like he's having difficulty trying to score?" Kira asked.

Oishi bit his lip. "I think we would have to thank Echizen for this, in a way speaking."

The other regulars turned to look at him. "Thank ochibi? What do you mean, Oishi?" Kikumaru blinked.

Oishi turned his gaze to Tezuka, who had just scored yet another point, bringing the scores to 5 games to 3.

"I believe all of you have noticed that Tezuka has been trying to keep his mind occupied with the club and his schoolwork. Perhaps you all don't know this, but every evening after practice, without fail Tezuka will go to the park he and Echizen used to go to. He's been practicing. _A lot_. I think he's trying to use tennis as a way to cover up the fact that he's lonely, now that Echizen is all the way in Kyuushu."

Fuji smiled slightly. "I see. So this is the result of his training." He watched as Tezuka scored again, ending the game with 6 games to 3. "It looks like our K-High's No. 1 position is taken again."

No one mentioned anything again as Tezuka and Atobe returned to the others.

Atobe, of course, was not one to admit his defeat. "Hmph. Ore-sama was just being generous today, so I'll let you have the first place a little longer. The next time, the winner will be me."

The diva had then made his entire cheering squad face the wall again, chanting "the loser is Tezuka" a hundred times to soothe his wounded ego.

Of course, Tezuka ignored the diva's childish antics. Once everyone was dismissed, Tezuka had been amongst the earliest to leave school, and this time, his regulars knew where he was going.

The rest of the regulars were still in the clubroom, changing out of their sport's attire.

"I was wondering, Kantarou. Since the track team has been formed again, haven't you thought about joining them?" Fuji asked suddenly.

Asakawa grinned at that. "Actually, I've already joined the track team the minute I heard it was formed."

"Eh?!" Oishi and Kikumaru exclaimed at that.

Asakawa raised his hands to pacify them. "Before you start bombarding me with questions, let me explain. I've joined the track team, but only after I've made sure that their practices do not collide with my tennis practices. I would not be going to any competitions this year, so I would be putting my focus on tennis for now. We've all made a promise to Tezuka-buchou to go to the Nationals, didn't we?"

There was a sigh of relief at that. "For a while you scared me there. I thought you were going to leave the tennis club."

"Of course not! You think too little of me." Asakawa frowned.

Everyone was quiet again. The mention of Tezuka made everyone begin thinking again.

"I wonder why would Tezuka feel lonely nya? We were with him all the time, weren't we? Even if ochibi is not around, the rest of us can talk to him." Kikumaru pouted.

Fuji patted him on the shoulder. "Eiji. It's a different kind of loneliness that Tezuka is feeling, and even our presence would not be able to make that feeling go away."

Asakawa nodded. He was currently in a relationship, so he could sympathize with Tezuka. "That's right. This is a feeling only those who are dating would know. When you really like someone, you will always wish to be with that person. When you're apart from that someone, you would always be missing him or her."

"So Tezuka misses ochibi. He really doesn't show it at all." Kikumaru said thoughtfully.

"Baka. Tezuka's not the type of person to wear his emotions on his sleeve." Atobe spoke up, having entered the clubroom some time back to listen in on the conversation.

Yamato sighed. "I wonder if there is anything we can do to help our Pillar of Kanto High. He has already made so many sacrifices for the club. It's about time we do something for him. Any suggestions?"

Immediately the regulars started up a topic of "How should we cheer our buchou up?"

Of course, the first thing that came to a certain redheaded acrobatic's mind was food. "Let's take him to Kawamura Sushi!" he chirped.

Asakawa shook his head. "No. We've gone to that place too often. Let's take him to T.G.I Sunday."

(A/N: 'Thank Goodness it's Sunday'. I made that restaurant up. :p)

"Do you have any idea how expensive that place is nya?!" Kikumaru protested.

"How about the art exhibition that would be held soon?" Fuji suggested.

"Or a day of hiking in the mountains? As I recall, Tezuka likes hiking." Yamato spoke up too.

The only ones who haven't spoken up were Kira and Atobe. Kira remained silent, as he really didn't know what to suggest. As for Atobe, he was too busy grooming his hair.

Finally, Atobe snapped his pocket mirror shut. "Honestly. You peasants really come up with the worst ideas. Leave everything to ore-sama. I have a plan that should get Tezuka's spirits back up in no time."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Early July

It was yet another day of practice for the Kanto High members. Just another ordinary day.

Tezuka was frowning slightly as he watched the coach hit on their teacher advisor, again. Nanjirou definitely wasn't your average coach. He came and left as he pleases, and more often than not he would just disappear in the middle of practice. Ryoma had told Tezuka before of his baka oyaji's character, so he wasn't too surprised.

On the few days Samurai Nanjirou did come to practice, however, he did make an effort to train the members, much to Tezuka's relief. The former tennis pro put his focus mainly on the regulars though.

"Ayaka-chan, shall we go for lunch together?" Nanjirou grinned, putting on his best grin and straightening his robes.

Their teacher advisor merely gave a smile. "I'm sorry, but I'm already going out for lunch with someone else."

"The headmaster Toruwa, most likely." Kikumaru whispered. Fuji, Oishi, Asakawa and Yamato chuckled at that.

Tezuka turned his attention back to the non-regulars. He was secretly pleased to see that most of them have improved ever since they had joined the club. Those who were barely able to hold a racket before could now play a decent game with their peers. With the date of the Kantou Tournaments drawing nearer and nearer, he was glad to see all their fighting spirits up.

He looked over slightly when he noticed Atobe walking over to him. The diva said nothing as they stood side by side.

"Tezuka…ore-sama had just remembered something. Ore-sama has a mansion in another state, one which ore-sama hasn't used in a long time. So I was thinking. How about we have practice over there? I assure you that the environment there is perfect for tennis practice, as it's quiet and peaceful."

"Why would you want to go all the way to another state to train? We're doing alright here." Tezuka enquired.

Atobe shrugged. "As ore-sama had said, ore-sama had not used that mansion for a long time, so ore-sama feel like going over to take a look. As I am feeling generous, all of you are allowed to come over to use the facilities as well."

Tezuka's eyes narrowed. "No thank you."

Atobe merely smirked. "Ore-sama know of a way we can settle this…"

A minute later

"Well then. I'm glad that you agree, Tezuka. It makes life much easier for the both of us." Atobe crowed triumphantly. Tezuka's expression did not change one bit, though his left hand was twitching, still suffering the effects of his 'rock' being mercilessly defeated by Atobe's 'paper'.

Tezuka sighed. Atobe would always put up a good fight to have his way. "Whatever then. Where is this mansion of yours?"

At that, Atobe's smirk became a grin.

"Kyuushu."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

This was how the merry bunch of Kanto High regulars found themselves on board one of Atobe's private jets, heading towards Kyuushu. Atobe was sipping juice calmly as everyone else chatted amongst themselves. Tezuka sat quietly by himself, his head resting on his hands. He appeared to be deep in thought, though everyone could see an eager gleam in his eyes.

"I have the sudden urge to visit one of my mansions. Very interesting excuse, Atobe." Fuji chuckled.

Oishi sighed. "Looks like your plan to get us to Kyuushu is the best after all."

Atobe gave his dark gray hair a flick. "Of course. Ore-sama am Atobe Keigo after all. Be awed by my intelligence."

After some time, the plane landed, and a limousine chauffeured the tennis players to Atobe's mansion.

Once there, Kikumaru and Asakawa's jaws were hanging open on the ground.

"Whoa! This place is huge? Ne, Atobe, why do you have a place with such lavish furnishing, yet you do not come here often?" Asakawa asked.

Atobe signaled for his servants to carry their bags to their rooms. "This is merely one of the numerous holiday villas of mine. I come and go as ore-sama please. Ore-sama can't possibly be in each and every one of my mansions now, can I? After all, there is only one Atobe Keigo in this world, and ore-sama can't be everywhere at once."

"So rich…" Kikumaru looked awed. Tezuka on the other hand sighed. 'How vain. What's the point of buying a house like that if you're not going to use it…?'

Atobe gave a grand sweep of his arms, and immediately his servants and maids formed a line behind him. "Now then. Show these gentlemen to their rooms. You're all free to do your own activities for now. Meet ore-sama back here in three hours. We're going for another trip."

Everyone exchanged knowing looks. Even Tezuka could faintly guess what 'trip' Atobe was talking about.

Atobe gave a snap of his fingers, and his servants walked over to the Kanto High players.

"This way please." One servant told Tezuka.

"Aa." Tezuka followed the man. He noted that his regulars were all taken up numerous flights of stairs, so why was his room the only one that was on ground floor?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Surely enough, hours later, the whole team was taken to the rehabilitation centre. All the way, Kikumaru was excited about seeing the ochibi-chan again, while Oishi was trying to prevent him from bouncing out of the limo by accident.

Tezuka led the way into the centre, since he had been here before. "Excuse me." He addressed the nurse at the reception counter.

The nurse recognized him immediately. "Oh. It's you, Tezuka-san. Your arm's doing fine?"

"Aa. We're here to see Echizen Ryoma. Which is his room?"

The nurse referred to her directory. "Hmm. He's on the 1st floor, in the west wing. You won't miss his room, as it's the presidential suite at the very end of the hall."

"Arigatou." Before Tezuka and the rest could look for his room, however, another doctor spotted Tezuka.

"Oh. It's you…" It was obvious the doctor held some kind of grudge towards Tezuka.

He snorted. "Good to see that you did not injure that arm of yours again. Your successor turned out to be just like you. If you're looking for him here you will not be able to find him. He goes out everyday to train against the wall, just like you."

"Hoi? Ochibi-chan's not around?" Kikumaru pouted.

"Shall we wait for him to return then?" Oishi asked, directing his attention to Tezuka.

The captain thought about it for a while. "You may stay here if you wish to. I would be going out for a walk. Atobe. I'll leave them to you." With that, he turned and walked out of the centre.

XXX

Tezuka was quite familiar with the place, as he had been here before for a period of time.

He wandered around the area, checking places where Ryoma could have gone to do his practices.

Finally, he reached his favourite training spot, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw a familiar looking red racket resting on a bench.

Walking over, he picked it up and studied it. Surely enough there was the letter "R" at the base of the handle.

He looked up and walked over to the wall. It certainly looked more worn out than when he had practiced on it.

Somehow, that brought back memories to him, making him smile a little. Without thinking, he tried a few shots against the wall, using Ryoma's racket.

"Hey, thief!" a voice shouted.

The brunette captain shuddered. _Déjà vu_

A blonde came lunging at him, and Tezuka had just managed to block his attack.

"Return that racket at once!" The blonde attacked again, and once more Tezuka defended. He thanked his lucky stars that he had taken karate before, or he would have been slaughtered.

The stranger sure was aggressive, and just when Tezuka thought the attacks wouldn't stop, a coy voice spoke up.

"Stop this at once, Phillip. That's my club captain Tezuka Kunimitsu you're hitting."

The blonde obeyed immediately. "Atobe-sama…eh? You're Tezuka Kunimitsu?" he turned his gaze to the frowning captain.

"Aa." At Tezuka's reply, the blonde had turned red from embarrassment.

"Gomenasai! I really thought that you were a thief." He bowed.

'You're not the first.' Tezuka thought.

"Please forgive him, buchou. Phillip is only doing his job as my bodyguard." A familiar voice spoke up, and Tezuka felt his spirits soar.

Turning around, he found his boyfriend walking over, holding a can of Ponta. Ryoma certainly looked better than when Tezuka had last seen him. He seemed to be walking perfectly, which meant that his right leg had healed. He was also wearing his cap, as the bandages had been taken off his head.

His right arm was still in a cast though. His sight hadn't been restored yet either and he was wearing a pair of shades, hiding those sightless golden eyes of his.

"Ochibi!" Kikumaru had glomped him almost immediately. It was a good thing the hyperactive redhead had not squeezed too hard, or Ryoma's injured arm would have been doomed.

"You're all here, senpai-tachi." Ryoma sounded happy.

"Hai. How are you doing, Echizen? Are you able to get used to your training yet? How's the food here?" Already, Oishi was fussing over the baby of the group.

"He's fine, Oishi. You look well, Echizen." Fuji commented.

"Arigatou, Fuji-senpai."

An awkward silence descended upon the group. Tezuka's face was expressionless as he stared at Echizen. Echizen too was keeping quiet, shuffling his feet slightly.

Atobe rolled his eyes. The only way the both of them would speak to each other would be if they were alone.

"Right. We will be borrowing Echizen from the centre for three days. I've already filled in the necessary forms already. He will be staying in a room next to yours, Tezuka."

Tezuka said nothing to that. Now he understood why Atobe had given him a room on ground floor. He noticed the way his teammates were grinning at him and sighed. Were these people the regulars of a tennis club, or a matchmaking club?

"Let us make a move then." He told the others.

Atobe had seized Phillip by the shoulders. "You would be relieved of your duties for the moment. For now, Tezuka would be Echizen's guide. Is that alright with you, Tezuka?"

"Aa." At long last, Tezuka took Ryoma's hand, guiding him to the limo. His friends followed behind, all trying (and failing) to hide their grins of delight.

"Looks like our mission is a success." Kira said first.

Yamato nodded. "Tezuka certainly looks happy."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Even after they had reached the mansion, Tezuka did not let go of Ryoma's hand at all. During dinner, they sat side by side, and Tezuka was helping to cut the steak on the younger boy's plate to smaller pieces. Everyone exchanged knowing grins around the table, though the two were completely oblivious to it. Right after dinner, Atobe had suddenly declared that all of them should retire to their rooms, and had suggested for Tezuka to bring Ryoma to his room too.

The others had then fled upstairs, allowing the two boyfriends to be alone. Tezuka shook his head at their antics, while Ryoma chuckled.

"Senpai-tachi can really be so childish at times." Ryoma commented as Tezuka led the Seigaku captain to his room.

"Aa. They mean well though."

XXX

Location: Atobe 'Ore-sama' Keigo's quarters

"Eh? Ochibi's bodyguard is your cousin?" Kikumaru asked, his eyes wide.

Atobe smirked, while Phillip chuckled. "Phillip Matthews, at your service."

"You certainly act nothing like what I would expect of Atobe's cousin." Everyone in the room (except Atobe and Phillip) shuddered as they recalled what the other cousin of Atobe was like.

Atobe pushed his hair out of his face. "That guy was my paternal cousin. This is my maternal cousin, son of my mother's brother."

Phillip nodded to affirm Atobe's statement. Kikumaru blinked at the blonde.

"How did one of you end up so rich, and the other end up as a servant?" Kikumaru asked curiously.

"Eiji! What a thing to say!" Oishi immediately scolded.

Phillip gave a chuckle. "I'm not a servant. I volunteered when Keigo-sama mentioned that he needed someone to keep an eye on Echizen. He also mentioned that I would have to play the part of a servant and bodyguard, since Echizen would need a lot of help getting around in that condition of his."

Atobe patted his cousin's shoulder. "This guy here is a huge fan of Echizen's, so I didn't mind him taking up the job."

"Did you have to tell them that?" Phillip hissed quietly at Atobe, turning slightly red as everyone in the room laughed.

The way Atobe acted around Phillip was very different as compared to how he treated Mafuyu. All the Kanto High regulars noticed that he seemed very tense when he conversed with his equally arrogant cousin. With Phillip, on the other hand, he was very relaxed, and they could see that he was more attached to his mother's side of the family.

"One question though. If you're not a servant, then why are you calling him 'Keigo-sama'?" Kikumaru was the one to ask again.

Phillip tapped his head lightly. "Ah. About that. It's a pet name, actually, that dated back to when we were kids."

::Short Flashback::

_Atobe Keigo (5-years-old), Phillip Matthews (4-years-old)_

"_Kei-kei. What are you reading?" Phillip asked, holding on to a bolster as he walked over to his older cousin._

_Atobe looked up from his book temporarily. "Oh. It's you Phil. Come look at this. It's a book about honorifics."_

_Phillip settled himself comfortably on a seat next to the other boy. "Hmm…you usually add –san behind a person's name, and –chan is used for girls, animals and children, -sama is used for people who are respected or of a higher position." He read out loud._

_He sighed. "Japanese sure is complicated. Why can't we just call each other by names." He looked up when Atobe snapped the book shut._

"_I have decided. Phil, from now onwards, you will add –sama to my name. As for you, I will add –chan to your name."_

"_Eh? Why must we add other things to our names? And why –chan? I'm not a girl."_

_Atobe puffed out his chest proudly. He was the older cousin, so it was his duty to teach the younger ones._

"_You are younger than I am, so it's only natural if I add –chan to your name. As for me, Keigo-sama suits me perfectly, don't you think? Besides, with all my wealth, I am definitely a most respected person."_

_He noticed Phllip's rather defiant pout and sighed. "Ah fine. How about you think of it this way? We'll use these honorifics as pet names."_

_That caused the younger boy to brighten up. "Alright then. Kei-kei sama."_

::End of Flashback::

Atobe twitched as Kikumaru and Asakawa were laughing silently. Oishi was trying to be polite, as he was hiding his smile. Fuji on the other hand was smiling openly.

"Even at such a young age, you were already so vain nya." Kikumaru had toppled off the edge of the bed when he was laughing, and now he had managed to crawl back on.

"Cute name ne, Kei-kei sama." Asakawa teased.

Atobe scowled. "Ore-sama will not permit anyone other than my cousin to call me that. I will see to it that you all run until sundown if ore-sama hear any of you calling me that again."

Phillip tried to pacify him. "They're only joking, Kei-kei sama. You don't have to get so angry."

Immediately Atobe pinned him with a stare. "Would you like to join them with their laps, Phil-_chan_?"

"Enough, you two. Atobe, I never thought you could actually be so childish." Oishi sighed.

Once everything had settled between them, Fuji turned to Phillip.

"So how was it, your experience as Echizen's bodyguard?"

Phillip shuddered. "That guy really is the most demanding anti-social I've ever come across with. Mind, when I had just become his bodyguard, he was really cold to me. First he'd be making a lot of crazy demands, and then he'd be giving funny orders like asking me to march up and down the hall 30 times to keep watch, and most other times, he'd just give me the silent treatment."

Everyone sweatdropped at that. If Phillip wasn't a fan of Ryoma's, there was a high chance the poor blonde would have gone mad already with all those crazy demands. They had to applaud him for his courage in dealing with the Seigaku captain.

Phillip paused a while. "Oh. One more thing. He talks very little when he's awake, but he talks more when he's asleep."

"Eh? What does ochibi say?" Kikumaru asked excitedly.

"Hmm…'Kunimitsu' is one word he repeats often." He stated, causing all of them to burst out in laughter.

"Figures." Atobe smirked.

"And 'Karupin' is repeated almost as many times as 'Kunimitsu'. Who's Karupin? A love rival?" Phillip asked.

"I suppose you could say it's Tezuka's rival for Echizen's attention. It's Echizen's cat." Atobe told his cousin.

Phillip smiled. "He really isn't who I had pictured him to be, as he's so different from what I've read in the magazines. However, I would say that he is strong. No wonder he had achieved the Pinnacle of Perfection. You should see the amount of training he gives himself everyday. He will definitely reach his old level of tennis again, even if he doesn't regain his sight. I am confident of that."

"That sounds just like Echizen." Fuji chuckled.

Atobe frowned. "I have one question, Phil. I did ask you to keep an eye on him, but this afternoon you really surprised us all by attacking Tezuka. What prompted you to do that? You're not usually so jumpy."

Phillip rubbed the back of his head. "I'm really sorry about that, but recently Echizen was ganged up by a bunch of guys. I think they're from one of Echizen's rival schools. I've always been there to drive them away, but they're always trying to catch him when I'm not around. Sore losers, the bunch of them. They can't beat him when he's at his best condition, so they're trying to play against him when he's vulnerable."

"I see. I think Tezuka would want to hear of this." Fuji gave an innocent smile at that.

Oishi flinched. "If he did, there will be a bloodbath in Kyuushu."

Yamato folded his arms. "Speaking of Tezuka-kun. I think he should have regained his spirits now that he has finally met up with Echizen-kun. Are we going to look for them later?"

Atobe gave a snort at that. "Ore-sama will not be so stupid to barge into their room. Who knows what they might be doing in there."

The next moment, Oishi's jaw had dropped. "Tezuka wouldn't do that…would he? That's it! I'm going to look for them!"

Kikumaru nodded. "I'll join you, Oishi. We must protect ochibi's innocence."

Fuji had managed to stop the both of them before they could leave the room. "Relax, you two. Atobe was only joking. What on earth were the both of you thinking anyway?" he gave an innocent smile

Atobe gave a snicker as the Golden Pair blushed. Who would have known that the motherhen and the acrobatic player had such wonderful imagination?

"Don't worry about it. Ore-sama had placed those two in separate rooms. If you're still worried later, go ahead and look for them. For now, just let those two be by themselves. I'm sure they have a lot of catching up to do."

XXX

Location: Echizen Ryoma's room

Ryoma was, at the moment, in his dear Kunimitsu's arms.

To be more exact, Tezuka had placed his arms around the younger boy's form, hugging him close.

(A/N: Time to get your head out of the gutter. XD)

The Seigaku captain gave a contented sigh. He missed this feeling, the feeling of security and love that he associated with the K-High captain.

"I finally get to meet you again, Ryoma. You have no idea how much I've missed you." Tezuka said, stroking Ryoma's hair.

Ryoma smiled faintly. "I would be lying if I said I didn't miss you. I'm glad that you kept our promise though. From Inui-senpai's reports, it seems that you've been managing your club well, and I'm very proud of you."

The Seigaku captain reached out, touching Tezuka's cheek. He traced the lines of his boyfriend's face, visualizing it in his mind. As Ryoma's fingers brushed past Tezuka's lips, a wistful smile came upon the younger boy's face. How he wished he had his sight.

Tezuka seemed to have read his mind, as Ryoma was not as adept at masking his emotions, and tended to wear his thoughts on his face. Gently, Tezuka bent down to touch his lips against Ryoma's lightly. Ryoma eagerly returned the kiss. To him, everything was perfect now, with just him and Kunimitsu. The whole Seigaku team could blow up at this moment and he probably wouldn't have cared.

When they broke apart, Ryoma's face was slightly flushed. "I've missed that too, Kunimitsu." He chuckled.

Tezuka smiled fondly. For a while, they remained quiet, just enjoying each other's presence. Ryoma soon spoke again though.

"Ne, Kunimitsu. How is your team doing now? I would rather hear it from you than from Inui-senpai."

Tezuka was more than happy to narrate about his team. Ryoma listened with rapt attention as Tezuka described the regular's selection. He was chuckling as Tezuka mentioned about his battle with Atobe.

"The Monkey King really lost beautifully. I'm impressed." Ryoma commented.

Tezuka finished his side of the story soon enough, and Ryoma had given one more of his 'baka oyaji!' snarls when Tezuka mentioned about the older Echizen hitting on the teacher advisor.

It was Ryoma's turn to speak about his Kyuushu experience, and he mentioned about his trainings, though he seemed to be skipping some parts, and Tezuka frowned. Soon enough, Ryoma spoke about his guide.

"That guy, Phillip. I must admit that I was rather mean to him in the start, but he really reminds me of Kikumaru-senpai. I've never thought I'd come across someone so smothering. I've gotten used to his antics though, so we're on friendly terms, I guess."

Tezuka winced slightly. While he was grateful to Ryoma's guide for taking care of his precious Seigaku captain, he couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy. Ryoma's guide was with the younger boy 24/7 during Ryoma's stay here in Kyuushu. Tezuka would definitely love to trade places with the blonde.

Suddenly, he just realized something. "Wait a minute. Ryoma, which room does your guide sleep in?"

Ryoma cocked his head to one side. "My room. Why?"

Tezuka twitched, though of course Ryoma couldn't see that. "Then…how many beds are there in your room?"

"One. Why?" Ryoma sounded completely innocent, and Tezuka felt the strong urge to run upstairs and strangle Atobe for putting his naïve Ryoma in the same room with that blonde bodyguard.

"Nope. It's nothing." Tezuka tried to keep his jealousy out of his voice, though Ryoma detected it almost immediately.

While Ryoma really did not have a clue as to what Tezuka was so upset about, he knew the best way to pacify him though. "Silly." He said fondly, giving Tezuka a peck on the lips.

Tezuka sighed. He was being irrational. Of course those two would have to be in the same room. With Ryoma's condition, he would need someone to guide him around. What if he had wanted to go to the gents in the middle of the night? At that, Tezuka shuddered at a mental image of Ryoma tripping over a stool, or ramming face-first into a door. Goodness, he was getting to be as paranoid as Oishi when it concerned Ryoma.

He pulled Ryoma closer to himself. 'No matter what, there's no way I'm letting him out of my sights while I'm here.' Tezuka made a silent promise to himself.

"One more thing, Kunimitsu. Play against me in a match tomorrow." Ryoma suddenly said.

Tezuka raised an eyebrow. Ryoma sounded so hopeful that he couldn't possibly turn that request down. "I understand." He gave his agreement.

Just then, someone knocked on the door. "Tezuka. We're coming in. Er…it's not a bad time now, is it? Make sure you're both decent."

"What is Oishi-senpai talking about?" Ryoma mumbled, while Tezuka scowled. 'What on earth were you thinking, Oishi?'

The Golden Pair poked their head in. "Ochibi! It's getting late nya! Bedtime! Bedtime! Come on, Oishi. You'll drag Tezuka out by the left arm, I'll grab his right."

"Senpai-tachi. If you want to talk to buchou go ahead and do so. Do you have to manhandle him like that? Good night, senpai-tachi, buchou."

"I'll see you in the morning, Ryoma." Tezuka nodded, being reluctantly dragged out of the room.

Once the three of them were out of the room, the Golden Pair could feel Tezuka's death glare activating.

"Care to explain what the both of you are doing?" he asked, his voice dangerous.

"Ehehe…well, you see buchou…" Kikumaru began.

"There was a curfew, and they just went to retrieve you. Oishi was worried that you had not noticed the time. That is all." Atobe walked down from his quarters. Tezuka frowned, while the Golden Pair looked relieved. Saved by the diva.

Of course, the stoic captain knew that was most probably not the real reason. Being Oishi's best friend for several years now, he could roughly translate what Atobe had said to be "Oishi was worried that your teenage hormones might go out of control if you're in the room alone with Echizen for too long."

Tezuka sighed. Oishi always got worried over the silliest things. He looked at his watch. Okay, maybe Oishi was right about not noticing the time, as it was already past midnight. He really didn't realize that time had passed this fast.

He looked up to find his regulars all staring down at him. He folded his arms, mildly annoyed at their amused grins. Such nosy people. "What are all of you still doing around here? We're waking early tomorrow. Go to your rooms at once." He ordered.

"Hai." They responded, all retreating to their rooms before Tezuka got irritated.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

During their three-day stay in Kyuushu, Tezuka had played against Echizen in a match. He could see the joy on Ryoma's face as they pitted their strengths against each other. Looked like Echizen had missed playing tennis against him. He made a mental note to bring Ryoma out for more tennis dates once he was released from the clinic.

Also, thanks to his rather childish jealousy, he made sure to keep Ryoma away from Phillip.

"Echizen-sama! Watch out for that rock…"

Tezuka had beaten Phillip to it, as he wrapped an arm around Ryoma's waist, swiftly guiding him out of harm's way.

"Echizen-sama! There's a branch…"

Tezuka had already moved it away. He refused to let Phillip near Ryoma, still feeling resentful that Phillip was able to protect Ryoma when he couldn't.

"Did I do something to offend him?" Phillip asked Atobe mournfully.

Atobe patted a hand on his cousin's shoulder. "It's not your fault. Let's just say that Tezuka can get rather possessive at times."

Tezuka watched the interaction between the two. Atobe was being awfully close to this bodyguard of Ryoma's. He couldn't help wondering what their relationship was.

As they played against each other later, Tezuka felt a surge of pride towards Ryoma at seeing how Ryoma had overcome his handicap. Apparently Ryoma now used his remaining senses when he played tennis, and Tezuka had to applaud him for the efforts the younger boy had put in his training.

Time passed too soon to Tezuka's liking, and very soon, it was time for him and the K-High regulars to leave.

Once more, the Golden Pair fawned over the baby of the group, with Kikumaru giving the Ochibi the Squeeze-of-Death, before Tezuka and Oishi pulled him away from the poor Seigaku captain, that was.

"We'll be leaving now, Echizen. Take care of yourself, and balance your training. Don't overdo your practices." Oishi said.

"I'll see you again soon, Phillip. Good luck dealing with the brat." Atobe told his cousin.

Once more, they faced the same scenario, with Tezuka and Echizen just standing there in silence. However, it seemed that the K-High captain had decided against holding himself back, as this time, he gave Ryoma a quick hug.

"I'll be back after the Kantou Games. I promise." He whispered to his boyfriend.

"Be sure to bring the gold medal with you." Ryoma responded playfully.

A faint smile appeared on Tezuka's face, though only Kikumaru, Atobe and Fuji noticed that, since their eyesight were the best. "Aa."

Reluctantly, Tezuka turned away, walking to the limousine. He said nothing more as the regulars were soon on board Atobe's private jet, heading back to Tokyo.

"It was good to see ochibi again." Kikumaru grinned contently.

"Aa. I feel more at ease knowing that he's making a steady recovery." Oishi agreed.

For a while, they discussed about the trip. Their conversation came to a halt, however, when Tezuka spoke up.

"Minna."

All eyes were turned to the captain, who had been sitting quietly next to Oishi.

He was as expressionless as ever, though there was the tiniest hint of a smile on his face.

"Arigatou." He said, and went back to remaining silent again.

Everyone exchanged glances. So Tezuka knew that this was part of their plan to reunite him and Echizen after all.

"You're welcome, Tezuka." Atobe was the one to speak up on their behalf.

Yamato was the next to speak. "We really haven't done much training these three days, so we will have a lot of practice to do when we get back. After all, a promise was made to Echizen-kun, wasn't there?"

Tezuka stared out the window.

"Aa."

To be continued…

A/N: So sorry I had to cut the whole practice between Tezuka and Echizen short. I've decided to not mention it here, since it's already been mentioned in Echizen, Our Buchou. Also, this chapter is really getting too long.

**Shiho Yuki**, hai. I'm following the manga's Kirihara Akaya, not the anime's. So he'll be very much a devil.

**mimikitty**, lol. Hai. This chapter has more fluff. Hope it's alright. About the sequel…I'll give more info at the end of the very last chapter of these two fics. Hmm…I still have around 5-6 chapters more to go for each story before it's 'the end'.

**merissala**, I applaud you for coming up with that sentence. You have proven that 'Atobe' and 'charity' can exist in the same sentence after all. lol. Also, don't worry. It won't be Fuji X Sakuno. It'll be Kawamura X Sakuno and Fuji X OC.

**Sakura Moon**, your review is so nice and long. Arigatou. ::hands out Tezuka plushie (remove the glasses and he'll roar "20 laps!"):: Hmm…yeah, I did tone down on the match. Usually, I wouldn't put a detailed description of the match unless it's during the competitions.

**Animestar73**::cough:: To be honest, the Atobe X Fuji hints in these two fics are a consistent fanservice. I think they're the only pairing that I'm putting up as a fanservice in every chapter.

**Milky Etoile**, Yup! Fuji and his sadistic streak rocks. ::hands out Fuji's plushie (squeeze the stomach and his eyes would open):: So, have you gotten Fuji and Kikumaru's measurements yet?

**Suicidal Duck**::hands out Atobe plushie (goes 'ore-sama' is stomach is squeezed):: Btw, did you manage to draw them in dresses?

**Please Read and review. No flames please**

-Gwyn


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. I only own my POT anime and manga.**

**Warning: Contain spoilers for latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. Very long chapter.**

**Pairing: Tezuka X Echizen, Sanada X Yukimura**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 16 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: Finally, the Kantou competitions. Just the Nationals to go and I can take a very, very long holiday. Ufufufu… Getting quite lazy. At this rate, I might not put up the sequel coz I'm too lazy to type. Saa…flip a coin, minna. Heads, I'd put up a sequel. Tails, I'd swallow the sequel.

Just kidding, but I'm really tempted to do so.

**Thank you all for your reviews**

Also, if possible, read Echizen, Our Buchou first. Otherwise, this chapter would give off spoilers to one of the events that would happen in Echizen, Our Buchou.

To the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 18

"The winner is Kanto High! The winner is Kanto High!"

To say that K-High had made a dramatic appearance was an understatement. With over 50 of their members there as their cheering squad, they were the noisiest team present in the Kantou tournaments.

Tezuka led his team to the counter. "Kanto High, here with 8 regulars." He told the officer in charge of registration.

"Hai. Good luck, all of you." The guy said. Tezuka gave a curt nod and left with his team.

Not surprisingly, all eyes were on the team. Their red, orange and white uniform gave off a feeling of confidence and power to anyone who saw them. Whispers were starting to break out as Tezuka and his fellow regulars walked past the other schools, with their cheering squad following closely behind.

"Ne, ne. Kanto High is here. Be careful of them."

"Aa. That school was the one with the headmistress scandal now, wasn't it? I'm impressed that the players have made it this far."

"What are you saying? Tezuka Kunimitsu and Atobe Keigo are both in that school, are they not?"

"Those two monsters are there…this is going to be a tough battle."

"You've forgotten the tensai Fuji Syuusuke, and the Golden Pair."

The group came to a halt when they noticed someone in their path. Said person was wearing the brightest grin on her face, with one hand holding on to her camera.

"Halo! Tezuka-kun. I hope you'd allow me to take a picture of your team." Shiba chirped enthusiastically.

"Aa." The Kanto High captain gave his permission, and the Tennis Monthly photographer snapped away happily.

"Anou…Shiba-san…you're dealing with the senior high group this round?" Oishi asked.

"I've managed to persuade Inuoe-senpai to allow me to cover the games of the senior high groups this round. Inuoe-senpai is covering for the junior high competitions. I would love to cover for Seigaku, but without Echizen-kun there, it really is no fun." The lady pouted.

"Is that so…" Oishi laughed weakly. He could roughly guess that she was here mainly to take pictures of Tezuka and Fuji's matches then, her next best options after Echizen.

"Yo. Young men. Come on here." Surprisingly, Nanjirou was there that day, though the reason was soon obvious. He had been present as K-High's pretty teacher advisor Ayaka had been there as well.

"It's finally the Kantou Games. There sure is a lot of excitement in the air." Ayaka smiled.

"Aa." Just then, a throng of girls rushed past, nearly knocking Atobe over. Tezuka had seized Nanjirou by the collar of his monk's robes to prevent him from joining the girls.

"Wonder what's going on there?" Shiba had already begun jogging to check out where all those people were going. A small crowd, consisting of reporters and fans alike, formed around one of the tennis players.

"Kanto High? What do I think of them? Hmph. I don't think they're really that scary. Their captain, Tezuka looks like he lacks human emotions, with the same expression on his face all the time. Atobe's always saying 'ore-sama', does he think he's a king? Fuji's eyes are always closed, it's a surprise he hasn't walked into a door yet. Also, there's that cat-boy/acrobatic player, and that motherly player. Honestly, that school is just weird…"

There were storm clouds hovering over the heads of the Kanto High players. Orange-haired dude with a cap…now then, what was his name again…

"He certainly looks like he has gained more popularity as compared to last year. Forgot his name though. If I'm not mistaken, wasn't he Kaidou's opponent, the guy who mimics everyone's moves." Kikumaru asked.

"Aa." Oishi nodded.

Ayaka came over, holding a clipboard. "That guy's from Natsu High. I daresay we might be facing them later." She informed.

Kikumaru looked thoughtful. "Natsu High? Never heard of them before nya."

"They're a newly established school, so the tennis club of that school is new as well. It'll consist mainly of first years, I believe." Ayaka explained.

Atobe snorted. "That guy has a lot of nerve putting down our school like that. He should be dealt with. Right, Tezuka?"

The Kanto High captain didn't reply, though his glasses flashed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We will begin the match between Kanto High and Natsu High. As this is the first game for Kanto High, all five matches will be played."

The K-High players stood facing the other team. It looked like the other team had a lot of familiar faces.

"Hoi…if it isn't Kisarazu and Kisarazu. The both of you have ended up in the same school nya." Kikumaru chirped. He had not called them by their given names, as now it was difficult to tell them apart. Apparently, after Atsushi had left St Rudolph, he had gotten rid of the ridiculous red ribbon around his head, and had allowed his hair to grow out again, making it nearly impossible to tell him apart from his older twin.

Well, apparently he wasn't the only one here from St Rudolph.

"Ufufufufu…Kikumaru-kun. Looks like you're not able to tell them apart now. The one on the left is Atsushi-kun, and the one on the right is Ryou-kun."

"Urm…actually Mizuki-san. I'm Atsushi…" The one on the right corrected.

Ryou threw a sideglance. "You're still not able to tell us apart yet? No wonder you made my brother wear that horrible ribbon the last time."

"Were you saying something?" Mizuki pretended not to hear them. Instead, now he turned his attention to Fuji, whose eyes were open and staring at Mizuki like a hawk.

"We meet again. Looks like I really am your destined rival, and the only one to defeat you. By the way, how is Yuuta-kun?" Mizuki asked.

Fuji gave a smile that made him look scary rather than friendly. "My otouto is doing fine. There is no need for your concern."

Meanwhile, Kira leaned over to Atobe.

"Do you know that guy? He has been glaring at you the whole time we were standing here." He whispered.

Atobe looked in the direction Kira had indicated, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Looks like he still holds a grudge against ore-sama." He muttered.

"Captains. Come forward and shake hands." The referee called out.

Tezuka walked over to the net, as did the orange-haired guy.

"This is the first time I'm playing against you, Tezuka Kunimitsu. Your arm has fully recovered, I hope."

"It has. You don't have to worry." Tezuka's tone betrayed none of his thoughts, and his face was as expressionless as ever.

The orange haired captain smiled. "Honestly. You should brighten up a little. With that kind of face, you would not be popular with the ladies. How would you be getting a date then?"

The Natsu High captain raised a hand and snapped his fingers, and immediately his fans and supporters erupted with cheers.

"Kyaa! Wakato-sama! You're so cool!"

"Wakato-sama! Wakato-sama!"

Atobe glanced around and gave a snort. "Is he trying to challenge ore-sama? Know that ore-sama's cheering squad is a thousand times better than this." Atobe too snapped his fingers, his left hand making a sweep in Tezuka's direction.

Immediately, the Kanto High members began chanting. "Tezuka! Tezuka! Tezuka!"

Every time Wakato's fangirls' squeals got louder, the K-High cheering squad raised their voices too, and eventually it looked like a cheering competition between the two opposing teams.

"Oh? Your school is pretty good." Wakato smirked.

Tezuka merely gave a stern stare.

"It will do you well not to underestimate us." With that, Tezuka led his club members to the sides. "Saa…yudan sezu ni ikkou."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Doubles 2, please come to the courts now."

This round, it was a different combination, as Oishi was placed as reserve. Kikumaru made a victory sign to the other half of the Golden Pair.

"I'll win this, so don't worry Oishi."

"Aa. I believe you can. Asakawa, please help to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't misbehave." Oishi joked.

"Of course." Asakawa grinned at a rather offended Kikumaru, who was waving a fist at Oishi for that statement.

"Don't let your guard down" "Mada mada dana." Both Tezuka and Nanjirou said at the same time.

Ayaka chuckled. "Just do your best."

Right at that moment, Tezuka's handphone vibrated in his pocket, and he fished it out, flipping it open.

**From: Echizen Ryoma**

**Ganbatte ne, Kunimitsu.**

A smile appeared on his face, and this time, even Ayaka-sensei spotted it. Needless to say, she was highly amazed by the wooden block captain's sudden change of expression.

"Who was that?" She couldn't help asking curiously.

All the other regulars exchanged knowing looks. "Just Tezuka's most loyal supporter." Atobe stated.

Nanjirou caught up on the hint immediately. "Was that a message from my Ryoma? Give it to me!" he made a lunge for the phone, though Tezuka held it out of the way.

"Yadda." Tezuka responded without thinking, and by the time he had realized what he said, it was already too late. Everyone's jaws dropped in shock, not expecting such "un-Tezuka-ish" words to come from the captain.

Tezuka sighed. Ryoma really was corrupting his vocabulary.

Nanjirou twitched. Before he could start to say anything, however, Kikumaru hurriedly steered the topic away from dangerous waters.

"Minna-san. Be sure to cheer for us. Let's go, Kantarou." He said.

Their opponents were a couple of unfamiliar faces. Both Natsu High first years were doing some quick warm ups. One was jogging on the spot so rapidly that even Asakawa raised an eyebrow.

"That guy's a speed type like me huh…I wonder what about the other one." Asakawa spoke softly to his doubles partner.

Kikumaru put his hands on his own waist. "It doesn't matter. Let's just enjoy the match."

It was Kikumaru's serve, and he began a rally with the other team. Asakawa stayed at the back as game maker, allowing Kikumaru to fully utilize his net play.

Very quickly, Kikumaru-Asakawa pair clinched the first game.

"Eiji seems to be in top form. Asakawa too looks happy." Oishi stated.

"Aa. They've always wanted to try playing with each other in a doubles team. Now that they finally have the chance, they're definitely in high spirits." Fuji smiled.

Not too long later, the K-High pair scored the second game as well.

"Alright. Let's finish all 6 games quickly." Asakawa said.

Kikumaru gave thumbs up. "Hoi hoi! Roger that."

The third round began, and this time, it was Asakawa's turn to serve.

Asakawa started off by targeting the speedy player, Aito. The past two games had shown that the speedy opponent seemed to have weaker strength.

Again, Kikumaru was already in the front, using his net play.

"Hoi hoi!" Kikumaru aimed for an exposed corner.

To his surprise, the next moment the other doubles player, Daiki had reached the corner, returning the shot.

"Hoi? He's a speed type player as well? Two speed type players?" Kikumaru blinked.

Asakawa laughed weakly. "I don't think we're in the position to say that. Isn't our doubles combination the same?"

The return was so quick that Kikumaru couldn't catch up to it, though Asakawa did, and he returned it, preventing the opponents from scoring.

No sooner had the ball bounced on the ground when Aito had already reached it, and again he returned the shot.

Very quickly, this match became a high speed rally between the four speedy players. The minute the ball hit the ground, someone would have to return it over the net already.

"This certainly is messy." Atobe commented at seeing how fast all four players were moving.

"Aa." Tezuka had to agree.

"Game, Natsu High, 2 games all."

Asakawa frowned slightly when he noticed both of the opponents were glancing at his direction. He had a bad feeling about this.

Surely enough, in the next rally, the two had made sure that most of their shots were directed at Asakawa. Given only very little time to react, since all the returns were so fast, Asakawa had to defend very quickly.

"Out! Game, Natsu High, 3 games to 2." The referee announced as yet again, Asakawa accidentally made a weak return, hitting it out of the courts in his haste to return it.

"Don't mind, don't mind, Kantarou." Kikumaru waved a hand at him.

The two did the same thing during the next match, and Asakawa's pace was all messed up, as he was struggling to make sure none of his shots went out, but failing miserably.

'Damn…those two know that I'm the one with less experience, that's why I'm their target. If I keep hitting all the shots out of the courts like this…we'll lose…' Asakawa was already feeling exhausted, mentally and physically.

"That's rare…Asakawa is actually out of breath when the game has barely started." Oishi said worriedly.

"The opponents have dealt a psychological impact to him. He must be under shock now that the opponents are so different from what he had expected them to be. Asakawa had underestimated his opponents because he and Kikumaru won the first two games rather effortlessly. Now that his opponents are showing their true skills, he's finding it difficult to adept to their play-style. Not to mention they're all moving so fast on the courts, it's a no wonder his stamina is drained so rapidly." Kira stated.

"Out! 15-0" Again, Asakawa had hit a shot out of the courts, and the speedy player looked like he was going to hit the panic button any moment.

Just then, a hand landed on his shoulder, and Asakawa looked up to find a grinning Kikumaru.

"Relax. You're falling into their trap if you start to panic. Just play as you usually do. In terms of speed, I don't think you will lose to them. Don't worry. I'll back you up, so we'll be alright." The acrobatic player reassured.

Kikumaru turned to the opponents. "You're both so evil, only hitting at Kantarou. I'll get bored if none of the shots come to me, you know." He waved a fist at them, and his childish antics were causing the opponents to blink in surprise.

"Yosh! Let's get even with them, Kantarou."

Asakawa seemed to have regained some of his morale thanks to Kikumaru's reassurance, and his shots improved compared to the previous two games.

"Hoi hoi!" Kikumaru used his acrobatic play to score the next game.

"Game. 4 games all."

Again, the opponents targeted Asakawa. To their surprise, the speedy player dodged the shot.

"Zannen munen, mata raishuu! Kikumaru Beam!" Apparently the speedy player was using himself as bait, luring the shot to the acrobatic player, who was waiting behind him.

(A/N: Zannen munen, mata raishuu-Too bad, see you next week)

Aito rushed to return the shot. Apparently he took the power of Kikumaru's shot lightly though. He did manage to hit the ball, but it ended up hitting the net.

"Game and match, won by, Kanto High. 6 games to 4."

Cheers erupted at that. Both Kikumaru and Asakawa did a high five.

When they returned to the others, Oishi handed towels to the both of them.

"That really was exciting…and tiring nya. I've never played such a fast match before…" Kikumaru was smiling.

"I'm glad we won though." Asakawa agreed.

Nanjirou gave a snort. "Mada mada dana."

XXX

Doubles 1 was Yamato-Kira pair against the Kisarazu twins.

The third years were still testing their opponents. Both of the twins had a very similar play-style, and it was difficult to tell them apart. Still, in terms of skills, Yamato had the advantage.

"He's aiming for the corner. Kira!" Yamato warned.

"Leave it to me." The other third year had reached the corner to return the shot.

"Those two are actually quite a good doubles combination. Ne, Oishi?"

"Aa. Yamato-senpai's observation is extremely sharp, and he works well with Kira-senpai."

One of the Kisarazu twins leapt into the air when Kira accidentally hit a chance ball.

'A smash!' Yamato braced himself.

To his surprise, the opponent didn't do a smash; instead, he spun in mid-air with catlike grace, and then hit a drop shot instead.

"Game, Natsu High, 2 games all."

"We were fooled, Yamato." Kira scowled.

"Looks so." Yamato sighed.

The twins were extremely good at deceiving them. When the K-High pair thought the twins were aiming for the left, they were actually aiming for the right. When they thought the twins were doing a drop shot, they ended up doing a smash.

Also, Kira was slowly getting confused when he was trying to tell them apart. As the both of them looked so alike, he was having trouble keeping his focus on just one of the twins, and more often than not his focus shifted to the other twin as well, further confusing him.

"Game, Natsu High. 3 games to 2."

"Kira. If you're having trouble telling them apart, why do so? You'll only get yourself confused. Just keep your focus on whoever is attacking. I'll deal with defense." Yamato smiled good-naturedly.

"Alright." Kira started the next serve. Yamato watched as the twins moved to return the shots.

Throughout the game, Yamato already managed to differentiate who was who. The one with shorter hair was the younger twin, Kisarazu Atsushi. The one with longer hair was the older twin Ryou. Their hair only had an inch of a difference, so he couldn't blame Kira for not being able to tell them apart. Also, Ryou looked to be the stronger twin, so he would try to put his focus on Atsushi instead.

Ryou leapt into the air again.

"Is it a smash? Is it a drop shot?" Kira wondered aloud. He didn't dare to trust his guesses anymore, considering the amount of times the twins had proven them wrong.

Yamato tilted his head slightly. "Patience. We have been too rushed in making guesses and deciding what shot he would be using. Sometimes it is alright to relax and go with the flow."

Kira took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Surely enough, just by waiting a few moments longer, the ball had passed Ryou. It definitely couldn't be a smash now.

Ryou used a drop shot, and Kira returned it by aiming at his chest. Ryou gave a yelp as he was caught by surprise, and he did a lob in his return. Taking the chance, Kira scored with a smash.

"Yay! Kira-senpai's Heart Attack!" Kikumaru cheered.

"Eiji! You make it sound as if Kira-senpai is having a heart attack. That's not a nice thing to say." Oishi scolded.

"Game and match, won by, Kanto High. 6 games to 3."

"Good job, senpai-tachi." Oishi said, handing out towels.

Kira shook his head. "You'd have to thank Yamato. If it wasn't because of his patience and his observation skills, we might have lost."

"Not at all. I'd say that you did a good job." Yamato said modestly.

Fuji chuckled. "You both did well. Now then, it should be my turn." His eyes opened, blue diamonds focusing on the Natsu High player across the court.

XXX

"Ufufufufufu…looks like I finally get to play against you again. I really am your destined rival. Ufufufufu…" Mizuki twirled a lock of his hair as he spoke, punctuating his words with evil laughter.

The smile was gone from Fuji's face as his eyes narrowed with dislike. "Aa. Looks like we've somehow ended up in the same court again. Let's have a good match."

Well, with Fuji's tone. Mizuki could actually remove the words "Let's have a good match." And replace them with "I'll crush you."

That did not deter him though. "I've calculated your data. This time, I won't go wrong. I've watched all your games last year. I've watched all your games this year. I've even watched all the practice matches you have in school, and in the park with your brother. I've been watching all these times, and have never let you out of my sights. I…"

"Oishi…he's obsessed with Fuji." Kikumaru whispered. Unfortunately, Mizuki heard him, and a vein throbbed on his head.

"Tezuka-kun. Is that one of Fuji-kun's fanboys, or a stalker?" Yamato asked curiously.

There were whispers amongst the K-High and Natsu High members. With "stalker" and "he's attracted to the tensai Fuji" being a few Mizuki could pick out.

"Did all of you say something?" There was a dark aura literally rolling off Mizuki's form, and everyone wisely shut their mouths.

Fuji gave a smile that made him look more menacing than he actually was.

"I'm flattered by your devotion, but I'm afraid I can't accept your feelings. I'm straight, unlike you." The sadist said evilly, further crushing Mizuki's reputation. Now the whispers were all "Oooh…Mizuki's gay."

"I'll get back at you for this, Fuji Syuusuke!" Mizuki served.

It looked like Mizuki did his homework after all, as he made sure to hit shots Fuji was weak against. The data player scored the first game in 15 minutes.

"Exactly as I've calculated. I'll win the first match. You'll win the second. However, victory will ultimately be mine, Fuji Syuusuke. Ufufufufu…"

Just as Mizuki predicted, Fuji won the second round, bringing the game count to 1 all.

"I can't help pitying Mizuki-san nya. Fuji's not even playing seriously." Kikumaru pointed out.

Atobe snorted. "That's his character. The outcome is predictable. Ore-sama think it's about time I warm up. Tezuka, play a match against me."

"Aa." The captain and vice-captain took their rackets and left.

Nanjirou, who was bench coach, was yawning widely at Fuji's unenthusiastic play. Surprisingly Fuji was still scoring points though.

"Oi. Shonen. Aren't you going to play seriously?" he asked.

Fuji gave a chuckle. "Saa…there really is no need for me to do so."

'That left corner should earn me a point. Alright. I'll be scoring now, Fuji Syuusuke.' Mizuki thought, aiming according to his calculations.

The next moment, Fuji had once again exceeded his predictions, reaching the point that Mizuki had calculated as his blind spot.

"I've told you before, haven't I? These are all shots I'm very good at." Fuji smiled.

"Does Fuji still hold a grudge against Mizuki?" Oishi wondered aloud, seeing how Fuji was drawing out the match.

"It would seem so nya. Otherwise Fuji would have finished the game a long time ago." Kikumaru pointed out.

Asakawa was staring at his doubles partner with mild admiration. "Fuji really is at a completely different level as compared to that guy…by the way, why does that Mizuki guy keep seeing Fuji as his destined rival?"

The golden pair sighed. "It's a long story." Oishi stated.

XXX

Meanwhile, in one of the empty courts, both Tezuka and Atobe were doing warm ups.

Tezuka was the first one to catch the lone spectator by the sides. He caught Atobe's shot with his hand, halting the game.

"Atobe." He called to get the vice-captain's attention.

Atobe turned around to see the same guy who had been glaring at him when the two schools were facing each other just now. That guy was still staring at him with unmasked hatred in his eyes.

"Oh? It's you, Taki." Atobe smirked, causing the guy to scowl deeply.

Tezuka threw him a questioning glance. Atobe sensed that and proceeded to explain.

"Taki Haginosuke. He was formerly a regular at my school last year, but he was lost his position when Shishido beat him. Well, ore-sama suppose he still holds a grudge against me because of that. Then again, he should know the rules. In Hyotei, once you lose, you would lose your position as a regular for good."

"So you say. Shishido lost to Tachibana, didn't he? Yet you had allowed him to remain as a regular. In fact, you've even pleaded to Sakaki-sensei for him."

"Don't get me wrong, Taki. Ore-sama was only sparing him that one time, being the generous person ore-sama was. Shishido showed an incredible amount of determination, and that was enough to convince ore-sama that he will not lose again. Ore-sama have not regretted my choice over that." Atobe turned his gaze to the former Hyotei player.

"If you're not satisfied with my decision to have you kicked out of the regulars, you would have to prove your worth in our match later. Otherwise, quit your sniveling. Ore-sama have better things to do than listen to the whining of peasants."

Taki looked like he wanted to wring Atobe's neck, though Tezuka's presence there kept the Natsu High player in check. Atobe gave a snort and kept his racket.

"Well. There's no point staying here anymore. Ore-sama believe we're done warming up. Let's go see how Fuji's match is now, shall we?"

"Aa."

Atobe knew that Taki was still glaring at his back after they had left. Oh well. He looked forward to the next match.

XXX

'According to my calculations, Fuji is weak against players who close one eye and hop on one foot during the match.'

"Why is Mizuki-san behaving so strangely?" Kira looked bewilderedly at Fuji's opponent.

Oishi smiled weakly. "That Fuji…just what kind of false data has he been feeding Mizuki?"

"Fuji's actually playing along nya!" Kikumaru snorted as Fuji allowed Mizuki to score a few times, giving the opponent false hopes.

Fuji spotted Tezuka and Atobe returning to the sides and smiled.

"Saa…about time I get serious." Fuji's eyes opened, and his returns were at least twice faster than before.

Needless to say, he finished the game in 5 minutes flat after that. Leaving a rather crushed Mizuki down in the courts, Fuji returned to the rest.

"You're both done warming up? It's your stage now, Atobe."

"Of course. Ore-sama look forward to greeting an old friend…" His eyes caught the sight of his former regular glaring at him. 'Well. I'll show him just why he lost his position.'

XXX

"The winner is Atobe, the loser is Taki, the winner is Atobe, the loser is Taki. The winner is…"

**Snap**

Atobe threw his jersey into the air, and one of the cheering squad members caught it, taking it to the sides.

"Ore da." As the crowd cheered, Atobe turned to his former teammate.

"Now then. Show me your skills. Ore-sama will be the judge of whether my decision to kick you off the regulars was right." Atobe smirked.

Taki served. "You've asked for it, _buchou_." The word was spoken with a huge amount of resentment.

The next moment, the ball had shot past the courts, and Atobe barely had time to react to it.

"15-0"

Atobe turned back to Taki, who was getting ready to serve again. He frowned slightly. Since when had Taki learnt such a serve? Well, he would just have to observe it again.

The next serve was just as fast as the previous one had been, and Atobe made a rough calculation in his mind. This speed…was roughly the same as Choutarou's. So Taki must have learnt this through observation, after he had been kicked off the regulars.

"Not bad. Had you shown this much determination last year, you could have been spared." Atobe provoked the opponent.

Taki gritted his teeth and served again.

"Fault!" His shot had hit the net.

K-High's vice-captain shrugged. "Well, I forgot that you can't keep your concentration for long on the courts. Do you expect to go against ore-sama with that level of tennis. Hah. In fact, I wouldn't even call that tennis at all."

When Taki served again, this time Atobe had gotten used to the speed already, and the grey-haired boy returned the shot easily.

"Ore-sama no bigi ni yoi na." Atobe taunted.

Atobe laughed silently to himself. Taki must have known that he could not best the former Hyotei captain in a rally, and had been hoping to keep all his service games instead. Why else would he put so much emphasis in his serve?

Taki said nothing. He served again, and to Atobe's surprise, the speed had increased. So he wasn't playing seriously just now?

"My serve can go faster than this, buchou. Prepare yourself!" He served again, scoring the first game.

Atobe held the ball in his hands. He never thought that his former regular would improve so much after just one year. A slow smile appeared on the diva's face. Looks like things were getting interesting. Very well, he would accept the challenge.

Atobe used his Tannhauser Serve, and surely enough, he too kept his service game.

"You'll have to train another hundred years before you can beat ore-sama, Taki." He taunted.

This went on for a few round. When the score was 3-3, however, Atobe had finally managed to keep up with the speed of Taki's serve.

"Feel the inferiority of your skills as compared to mine." Atobe gloated, scoring the next game. He had finally managed to break through Taki's service game.

"I can't help feeling sorry for that guy." Yamato muttered sympathetically.

Oishi nodded. "Aa. Atobe is a very good player, but sometimes, his arrogance can really crush the morale of his opponents. I don't think there's anyone else with such a proud attitude."

"Actually, I can think of one other player, though I would rather not say the name…" As one, everyone threw a glance at Tezuka. Yup. It would be safer if they kept that to themselves.

"Game and match, won by K-High's Atobe. 6 games to 3." Taki was cursing silently as Atobe walked away. Before the diva had completely left the courts, however, he turned around slightly.

"You have potential, but you did not use it to the fullest last year. Instead of moping about the past, why don't you train harder for the future?" Atobe shrugged. "Well, whatever it is, you're still ten years too early to defeat ore-sama." After giving his advice, the diva returned to his teammates.

XXX

"Kyaa! Wakato-sama!"

Tezuka felt a headache coming on. He already had to deal with Atobe and his cheering squad in school, now he has to deal with Wakato and his fangirls as well. When would this guy just start the match?

"Ah. So sorry that you have to wait, Tezuka, but I can't help it that I'm so popular."

Tezuka twitched. Would he just hurry up already?

"Which?" Tezuka asked, preparing to spin his racket.

Wakato chuckled. "I'll let you serve."

"Aa." Tezuka went to the baseline to position himself. Wakato was underestimating his opponent. Well, he would have to teach the other guy a lesson in this then. Yudan sezu ni ikkou.

Needless to say, Wakato was no match against Tezuka's high-speed serves, and Tezuka won the first game almost too easily.

"Not bad. It's a wonder you're only a high school student. Well…I think I know of the perfect person to defeat you. CHANGE…"

"OVER!" Wakato's fangirls cheered.

Tezuka twitched. This poise…

"Ore-sama no bigi ni yoi na." Wakato drawled.

The original person, who was standing with the K-High regulars, had given a snarl of protest.

"How dare you copy ore-sama's style! There is only one Atobe Keigo in this world. Tezuka! Defeat him!"

"Are you sure you're alright with that? That would be like defeating you." Kira asked.

Atobe's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that. "No. Tezuka. Don't defeat him!"

"Eh? But then we would lose one match nya." Kikumaru pointed out.

Atobe twitched. That was true. "Tezuka. Defeat him." But that would be like him being beaten by Tezuka in front of so many people. The humiliation… "No. On second thought, don't defeat him." But…that would mean his school would lose a match. How could his school lose a match with him as vice-captain? "Tezuka…defeat him…no, don't defeat him…gah!" the poor diva was stuck in a rather awkward position.

Tezuka scowled. "Be quiet, Atobe." His vice-captain was distracting him.

Wakato used the Tannhauser Serve, which Tezuka noticed was very similar to the actual serve by Atobe.

"Game, Wakato. 1 game all."

'This would be troublesome.' Tezuka thought, again defending his service game, bringing the scores to 2-1.

With the Tannhauser Serve, Wakato managed to keep his service game. Tezuka brought the score to 3-2, and now it was Wakato's turn to serve again.

"I would advice that you don't use that serve too often." Tezuka spoke up finally.

Wakato gave a snort, though already, the orange haired guy looked slightly exhausted. The side effects of the Tannhauser Serve were starting to kick in.

"I'll use this as many times as I like." He served again, and his shot hit the net.

"Fault!"

Wakato frowned. Once again, he tired to serve, and once again, he hit the net. With that, the point went to Tezuka.

"Oi! If you're going to impersonate ore-sama, do so properly!" Just watching the game embarrassed Atobe.

Wakato placed his hand to his face. "Hmm? Looks like I would have to use a different person against you. Well then. I know of just who to use. CHANGE…"

"OVER!" His fangirls called out dutifully.

"Losing is not permitted." Wakato put his cap on his head, and his personality had undergone another change. Now, he looked rather imposing, not smiling in the slightest bit.

As they began a rally, Kikumaru tapped his chin.

"That's very familiar nya…who is he imitating this time?"

"I'm not too sure." Even Oishi couldn't figure out who it was.

As Wakato did an Invisible Racket, Atobe snorted. "Ore-sama thought so. He's pretending to be that baka Sanada." He had been Sanada's doubles partner once, so he knew.

"Sanada huh…that guy is powerful. But I don't think that's too difficult for Tezuka to handle."

Tezuka's service games were broken by Wakato's invisible swings. However, in a rally, Tezuka proved to be more powerful.

"Game, Kanto High's Tezuka. 5 games to 3."

"Yare yare. Looks like I have no choice. Only Japan's no 1 junior high player can go against you, it seems."

Tezuka's eyes widened slightly. Japan's no 1 junior high player? That would be…

"CHANGEOVER!"

Wakato now stared at Tezuka, a smirk on his face. "Mada mada dane."

The K-High regulars nearly fell over in shock. Of all people, Wakato just had to impersonate _him_?

Nearby, Shiba had begun snapping away. "I don't believe it. It looks like it was a good thing I came to the junior high games after all. Who would have known that I would be able to see Echizen-kun here."

"That's not ochibi!" Kikumaru protested.

"Mada mada dana." Nanjirou agreed.

Oishi gulped suddenly, causing Kikumaru to turn to him.

"What's wrong?" The acrobatic player asked.

"Tezuka's eyes…he's actually getting serious now."

Atobe smirked at that. "That Wakato has really dug his own grave by choosing Echizen. Ore-sama think he touched a nerve."

Wakato did the twist serve, and Tezuka returned it easily.

"That will not work on me." The stoic K-High captain said quietly.

"Ceh." Wakato must have really done his research, as his every move really resembled Ryoma's. Every attack of his too was like Ryoma's, ranging from Twist Serve to Drive B. To his surprise, Tezuka was able to return every single shot of his.

"How can this be? Echizen is supposed to be Japan's no 1. How can he be defeated by you?" Wakato wondered aloud.

Tezuka gave him a stern stare. "The copy will never be able to exceed the original." He stated. Well, he would also have his and Ryoma's tennis dates to thank too. He was already very familiar with Ryoma's play-style, since he had played against him so many times.

If he had to compare Wakato and Ryoma…well…Wakato was able to copy Ryoma's moves, but not his determination to win. Ryoma had an immense hatred towards losing, and would put up a hell of a fight to win. There was no way Wakato can truly impersonate Ryoma.

'Not to mention Ryoma's at least a million times better looking than this guy.' Tezuka added to himself.

"I would have to thank you though." Tezuka suddenly spoke up again.

Wakato fumbled, accidentally hitting a lob. "What for?"

Tezuka leapt into the air to deal the final blow. "You've just reminded me of why I must win this." With that, Tezuka smashed, ending the game at 6-3.

The two players shook hands. "Man…you're really a monster. Tezuka Kunimitsu." Wakato shook his head.

Tezuka moved back to his team, frowning as Atobe had began conducting the cheering squad to start yet another 'Kanto High' chant. He looked forward to the day the competitions were over.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You're really going to be catching all our matches, aren't you?" Oishi laughed weakly.

Shiba smiled. "Of course. Inuoe-senpai was pretty pleased with the pictures I've taken during these few days, so he has allowed me to stay here."

She glanced around. "There really are a lot of people here. Then again, it's the finals, so I'm not surprised. Well, what are both your feelings now?"

"Aa. We're glad." Tezuka's answer was short, as always.

Atobe was busy grooming his hair. "Considering that I'm vice-captain, it's only natural if we enter the finals." He said arrogantly.

While Shiba was their team's loyal supporter, their own coach was not, as Nanjirou was absent today. According to the excuse he gave Ayaka-sensei, apparently he had to go for an urgent meeting, which Tezuka knew was synonymous to a 'date'.

Their group came to a halt as they met their opponents.

"The winner is Roshan High. The loser is Kanto High."

Oshitari and Gakuto threw the Golden Pair a challenging stare.

"Let's see who's the better acrobatic player, kangaroo. I challenge you to tree climbing. See who reaches the top faster." Kikumaru said as soon as he saw his rival.

"Ok!" Before either of them could move, however, their respective doubles partners had restrained them in time.

"Eiji! Don't go around climbing trees!" Oishi scolded.

"Don't involve yourself in such a childish dare, Gakuto." Oshitari sighed.

Tezuka bit down the urge to assign Kikumaru laps. Instead, he shook hands with Roshan High's Yagami-buchou. "It's good to play against your school again. Let's have a good match." Tezuka said.

"Aa. We will not go easy again on all of you this round." Yagami said.

"Neither will we." Tezuka replied.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright. Ore-sama will go through the order of players again. Doubles 2—Fuji-Asakawa, Doubles 1—Oishi-Kikumaru, Singles 3—Kira, Singles 2—Ore-sama, the great Atobe Keigo, Singles 1—Tezuka. If any of you have objections to this, ore-sama will entertain none of it. Any questions?" Atobe asked, lowering the list.

Kikumaru raised a hand, and Atobe gave a wave of his hand, indicating for him to continue on.

"Atobe…isn't that your cousin?" he asked.

All heads turned as one to where the acrobatic player was pointing, but most of them only saw a speck in a distance. They'd need Kikumaru's eyesight before they could see that far.

As the person drew nearer, however, all of them recognized him immediately.

"Phillip! What on earth are you doing here?" Atobe looked highly surprised.

The blonde gave a weak laugh. "I've just decided to come over and cheer for my favourite cousin. Is that so bad?"

"But…aren't you supposed to be keeping an eye on Echizen?" Atobe asked again.

Phillip was looking rather uncomfortable, especially under Tezuka's sharp gaze. "He gave me the day off, so I took the opportunity to come over here."

"Suspicious…" Kikumaru began.

Asakawa nodded. "Very suspicious…"

Tezuka looked like he was about to question Phillip. Immediately the blonde sent a distress signal to his cousin when they made eye contact.

Atobe sighed, coming to his younger cousin's rescue. "Fine. Ore-sama will ask no more about this. Knowing Echizen, he had probably made some crazy request again. Let it rest, Tezuka. Fuji, Asakawa. The both of you had better start warming up."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Game and match, won by, Fuji-Asakawa pair. 6 games to 2."

"Whoa! That was quick!" The Roshan players were whispering amongst themselves as the smiling tensai and the grinning redheaded player returned to their teammates.

"That guy's definitely the tensai Fuji Syuusuke…have you seen how that ball had glided across the ground?"

"Speaking of tensai…" All eyes were turned to the two Doubles 1 representatives.

The blue-haired genius was wiping his glasses with a towel. "Yuushi…" His magenta haired partner called up.

"Here." Oshitari handed over Gakuto's drink, knowing what the other guy wanted even though the acrobatic player did not finish his sentence.

"Sankyuu."

"Definitely our best doubles pair. They could actually communicate so well. I don't think they'll lose to the Golden Pair this time." The Roshan players turned to look at the Kanto High team.

"Oishi. You…" –Kikumaru

"Aa. By the way…" –Oishi

"I know. So…" –Kikumaru.

"Friday." –Oishi

A chill ran through the entire Roshan High team. Those two were actually speaking without finishing their sentences too, and it was a whole conversation at that. They sounded like an old married couple! Definitely Kanto High's Golden Pair.

"Let's go." The Golden Pair tapped their rackets together.

As both teams stood by the net, the two acrobatic players immediately eyed each other with dislike.

"Hey, Kikumaru. You able to hop any higher yet?"

"Kangaroo. You able to move any faster yet?" Kikumaru countered.

"Eiji!" Oishi scolded. He gave Oshitari a slight bow. "I apologize for my teammate's behavior."

"Don't worry. The both of us are babysitters to two kids, so it's natural that they would always have their childish brawls."

"Hey!" Both Gakuto and Kikumaru protested.

"Best of one set match. Oishi to serve."

The minute Oishi served, both teams' acrobatic players had already moved to defend the net.

"Hoi hoi!" Kikumaru used his acrobatic play, to which Gakuto gladly took the challenge.

"Kikumaru, know that there would always be a better acrobatic player. As to your question for whether I'm able to move faster now, let your eyes be the judge of that." Gakuto was able to completely catch up to Kikumaru's speed, even though Kikumaru used his Seal Steps, creating an illusion of himself.

"Hoi!" Kikumaru leapt into the air, and caught one particularly high lob. "I can leap as high as you now, Kangaroo. Kikumaru Bazooka!" he used his smash.

Immediately Oshitari returned that shot with his Higuma Otoshi, and Oishi moved instantly to return the shot.

"Goodness. Both sides have superb coordination. Both teams really cover for their doubles' partner very well." Kira pointed out.

"Aa. This is going to be a very long match…" Tezuka stated.

One hour later, the game count was still at 3 all, and neither side was showing any weakness yet.

"Oishi, you're not getting out of breath yet, are you?" Kikumaru teased.

Oishi smiled in return. "Not before you do, Eiji."

Gakuto's stamina seemed to have improved too, as even he looked like he still had a lot of energy to spare.

"They're really troublesome. What do you think, Gakuto?"

"I just want this to be over with quickly." Gakuto groaned.

Oshitari adjusted his glasses slightly. "Whatever you say then." The tensai served, and thus the next rally began again.

This time, Oshitari was the one doing most of the attacking, and Gakuto played defensive instead. Being Roshan high's tensai and trickster, it was only a matter of time before Roshan High pulled ahead of K-High, as now the scores were 5 to 4.

"Oishi." Kikumaru said warningly.

"Aa. We're falling into his trap. Looks like we would have to use another way."

This time, it was Oishi taking the front, right before the net. Kikumaru guarded the back instead.

"That…is Oishi Territory." Fuji recognized that formation.

Oishi utilized his game making abilities and his observation skills, predicting the shots easily.

"Kikumaru, stop. That shot won't be in." He yelled to his doubles partner.

Surely enough. "Out. Game, Kanto High. 6 games to 5." The referee called out.

"Nice one, Oishi. Let's keep this pace then." They gave each other a high five before Oishi took his position at the front again.

To his surprise, Oshitari was at the net as well. "Shall we begin the battle of Game Makers then, Oishi?" Oshitari smiled.

The next rally began, and again, Oishi was observing all the shots.

"Kikumaru, guard the left." Oishi yelled back.

"Oh? Are you so sure about that? Gakuto. Aim for the right instead." Oshitari instructed.

"Alright!" Gakuto obeyed.

"Hoi, hoi! That would not fool me!" Kikumaru cart wheeled, reaching the shot in time.

Oishi, however, was able to see that it wasn't as simple as that. Surely enough, Oshitari then proceeded to attack the left, and Oishi had to return the shot.

By doing so, however, he had moved from his spot in the front, and Oshitari didn't give him a chance to use Oishi Territory anymore.

"Game, Roshan High. 12 point tie-break." The referee announced.

Again, Oishi stood in the front, using Oishi territory. Oshitari too moved to the front to block him.

To the Roshan High player's surprise, Oishi had moved from his position, and Kikumaru scored when they were caught off guard.

"Point, K-High. 3-0."

"Yuushi. That isn't just Oishi Territory." Gakuto warned.

"Aa. Such sneaky people, these two. They've used both Oishi Territory and the Australian formation. Well, two can play the same game." The Roshan High pair too stood in a single line.

Neither side would compromise, and neither side would give the other a two-point headstart. Eventually, the points dragged on to 21-20, with Roshan High leading.

"I applaud your determination, but I'm afraid it must end here." Oshitari fired a return.

"The left, Eiji!" Oishi warned.

Oshitari chuckled. "Even if you know where it would be headed to, you won't be able to hit it, Kikumaru-kun."

The ball glided across the ground, all the way until it hit the wall at the other end of the courts.

"Tsubame Gaeshi…" Oishi realized.

"Game and match, won by, Roshan High's Oshitari-Gakuto pair, 7 games to 6."

XXX

"I can't believe we lost to that pair nya…" Kikumaru sulked, while amongst the Roshan High regulars, Gakuto was still making faces at Kikumaru.

"We did our best, Eiji. Next time, we won't lose to them again." Oishi tried to cheer him up.

"That's right, Eiji." Fuji agreed to Oishi's words.

Currently, Kira was having his match, since he was in Singles 3.

As the others watched on, Shiba's phone suddenly rang.

"Hello? Ah, Inuoe-senpai." There was a pause as she listened to what he had to say. The next moment, she had given such an exclamation that all the K-High regulars (minus Tezuka) jumped in surprise.

"EH? Echizen Ryoma-kun is competing in the finals? Is that for real? Isn't he supposed to be in Kyuushu?"

As Shiba continued her conversation over the phone, all eyes were turned to Tezuka. "Has Echizen fully recovered? Did he inform you about him returning?"

"No. I have not heard him say anything about this." Tezuka stated. His face too showed confusion, or at least, the ones who could see past his mask knew that he was confused.

What was Ryoma doing back here and why wasn't he informed? Tezuka couldn't help feeling slightly hurt as he thought of it.

"I understand. I'll be there right away!" Shiba ended the call and was packing all the equipment she had brought.

"It's not too late for you to go over, Tezuka-kun. I can take over Singles 1." Yamato suggested.

Tezuka was tempted by the offer. However, he shook his head slowly.

"No. I will play in Singles 1. We will go to the Nationals, and nothing is going to change my mind about that."

Atobe snorted slightly. Tezuka, the ever responsible captain. He had not expected any other answers from him.

Tezuka seemed to be thinking about something for a while. Finally, he turned to his best friend. "Oishi."

"Aa. I'll go on your behalf then. Come on, Eiji. Let's ask Shiba if we could hitch a ride." The both of them raced to catch up with the Tennis Monthly photographer, who was already at a distance.

Atobe smirked slightly. "You're not going to regret this, Tezuka?"

"Aa." He replied, turning his attention back to the game.

"Game and match, won by, Roshan High, 6 games to 4."

"Well. The both of us would have to end our matches quickly then. Transportation is not a problem. Leave that to ore-sama."

"Arigatou. Atobe." Tezuka said, feeling rather grateful to the diva.

XXX

"The winner is Atobe, the loser is Kabaji, the winner is Atobe, the loser is Kabaji. The winner is…"

Atobe snapped, and threw his jersey into the air, which Kabaji caught neatly.

"Ore da."

Cheers erupted from the K-High and Roshan High stands. It looked like many of the former Hyotei players were still supporting their former captain.

Atobe turned to his former regular.

"Now then, Kabaji. You will help ore-sama put away my jersey. Right, Kabaji?"

"Usu." The hulking player immediately proceeded to do Atobe's bidding before returning to the courts.

Once more, they faced each other.

"Ore-sama will always be the better player. Right, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

"Ore-sama will be the better looking player. Right, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

"And ore-sama's skills will always be more beautiful. Right, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

"Therefore, Kanto High would be the winner. Right Kabaji."

To Atobe's surprise, Kabaji actually paused at that, as if he was thinking. That had never happened before, and the diva was rather taken aback.

Finally, Kabaji spoke up. "The winner is…Roshan High."

Silence followed that statement.

"Whoa! Kabaji isn't listening to Atobe anymore. He could actually think for himself." Gakuto said.

Oshitari smirked. "Too bad, Atobe. He's a true Roshan High player now."

Atobe folded his arms. "Oh? Such bravery. Are you actually going against my orders? That's treason. Well, ore-sama will not go easy on you then. Prepare yourself, Kabaji."

"Usu."

It was a happy reunion for the master and his slave…well…in a certain way speaking.

"It's been quite a while since I last played against you. Right, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

Atobe scored the first game, though he knew that Kabaji would be able to copy it by now. Well, it would be interesting to fight against himself.

Surely enough, Kabaji used Atobe's moves against the diva, though Atobe was not one to stick to the same play-style each time, as his shots were always different.

"There is no way you can win against ore-sama. Right, Kabaji." Atobe smirked.

Atobe was winning, 4 games to 0. As they entered the next rally, Atobe was surprised when Kabaji prepared to use a skill. Now where had he seen that before?

"Ee!" Kabaji fired a very fiery shot, which knocked the racket out of Atobe's hands.

"This skill…is Hadoukyuu. He still remembers this shot?" Atobe wondered aloud. Kabaji had picked it up in his match against Kawamura last year. It looked like Kabaji had now adopted this as one of his skills.

Against Kabaji's strength, Atobe would be no match to him. The diva knew that he would have to seal that skill, or he wouldn't be able to win at all.

"There must be a weakness somewhere." Atobe placed his fingers before his eyes.

After a while, he removed his fingers and snorted. He should have known.

"Ee!" Again, Kabaji used the Hadoukyuu.

Atobe allowed him to use that skill a few more times. Hadoukyuu was indeed a very powerful skill, but it was a double edged sword, as it burdens the muscles of the user's arm as well.

'His power has finally gone down.' Atobe noticed. Taking the chance, Atobe countered the shot with a Jackknife.

Kabaji's racket was knocked out of his hands. Atobe gave a laugh at that. "Be awed by ore-sama's beautiful skills."

The next round, Atobe made sure that Kabaji didn't have the time to use the Hadoukyuu at all, as he made Kabaji run up and down the courts, not giving him the chance to prepare the energy needed for the power shot.

"You're ten years too early to go against me, Kabaji. Rondo to Destruction." He used the smash, hitting Kabaji's racket out of his hands before scoring.

As expected, Kabaji copied that skill again. He leapt into the air and fired a smash. Of course, Atobe knew how to counter this, since he was the one who had created this skill in the first place.

"Too naïve." He hit the shot over the net even before Kabaji's feet could even touch the ground.

"Game and match, won by, Kanto High. 6 games to 3."

"Hmph. Ore-sama will always be the winner. I won this time. Right, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

XXX

"Let's have a good match." Roshan High's Captain Yagami Toira said as he shook Tezuka's hand.

"Aa."

"Best of one set match. Yagami to serve."

Yagami used the same serve from the District Preliminaries, except this time, it was more powerful than when he had fought Atobe then.

Tezuka watched expressionlessly at the fiery trail the shot had left behind. "Nice serve." He commented.

"Doomo." He fired the serve, which streaked across the ground again.

After a few times, however, Tezuka managed to catch the shot. A pity when he returned it, the ball had hit the net.

"Game, Roshan High. 1 games to 0."

This time, it was Tezuka's turn to serve. He did not have any fanciful serves like Atobe or this Yagami, but his normal serve was already deadly enough.

'So fast!' Yagami thought. He barely had time to react at all. He stared back at Tezuka. No wonder this guy was known as a National level player.

Tezuka too kept his service game, and now it was back to Yagami's turn to serve.

Again, he used that fiery serve, and this time, Tezuka had returned it cleanly over the net.

'Crap! He had managed to counter this skill so quickly? Is he even human?' Yagami wondered as he hurriedly made a return.

Tezuka lowered his racket and did a drop shot. The ball hit the ground and rolled towards the net.

"Zero shiki…" Yagami breathed, looking slightly amazed. Of course he had heard of this skill, but to see the real thing…

"Saa…yudan sezu ni ikkou." Tezuka said.

Tezuka was an extremely strong player, and the difference in level between the two of them was obvious.

"Looks like I have no choice but to use the skill I've just learnt." Yagami said. The next moment, an aura surrounded him. Apparently he had the Muga no Kyouchi.

When Tezuka served, Yagami was able to copy Asakawa's Speed Dash, reaching the shot and returning it with double the speed.

"You had better use your Pinnacle of Hard Work. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to go against me."

"No thank you." Tezuka said shortly.

Yagami had fired his power shot, which had double the power since he was in the state of self-actualization. Tezuka caught the shot, but had to use both hands to return it.

"Game. Roshan High. 4 games to 3." Yagami had scored another game, but Tezuka still had the higher score.

Yagami used his power shot a lot, and for the first few times, Tezuka had to return the shot with two hands. Eventually, however, he could return the shot with just one hand.

"What's going on?" Asakawa asked his doubles partner.

Fuji smiled. "Yagami-san's strength is dropping, since he is using that shot so many times. Also, as he had just learnt the state of self-actualization, so he doesn't know about its side effects yet."

"Muga no Kyuochi. It allows the user to have an increased amount of power and at the same time, the player would subconsciously use all the skills they have seen before. However, it saps your stamina very rapidly. That Yagami is wasting his stamina by using so many power shots at once." Atobe elaborated.

The aura around Yagami disappeared, as he was too tired to use the state of self actualization anymore. His performance went downhill from there, as he could barely keep up with Tezuka's shots.

Finally, Yagami's stamina had reached its limits, and the Roshan High captain collapsed.

"Yagami-buchou!" His regulars yelled, all rushing towards him. They could not rouse him though, as he was already too exhausted to proceed with the match.

"Yagami cannot continue on with the match. Kanto High's Tezuka is declared the winner." The referee announced as Yagami was carried away by his teammates.

XXX

Tezuka had never known that a prize-giving ceremony could feel so long.

By the time the whole ceremony was over, and by the time the team had finally escaped the horde of reporters and photographers, it was near evening.

Currently, all of them were in one of Atobe's limousines, heading towards the junior high competitions grounds. The limo had barely stopped when all the K-High regulars were already sprinting towards the courts, with Tezuka in the lead, of course.

By the looks of it, the junior high competitions had been over for quite some time already, as majority of the people there were already leaving.

However, Tezuka felt a twinge of hope when he spotted the Seigaku regulars. Oishi and Kikumaru were with them as well.

"Ah. Tezuka." Oishi spotted him and jogged over.

"Where's Echizen?" Tezuka asked. He did not see his boyfriend anywhere.

Oishi looked rather guilty. "Gomen, Tezuka. You've just missed him, as he has gone back to Kyuushu already. We tried to stop him, but he seemed to be in a rush…so…"

He didn't need to see Tezuka's expression to know that Tezuka was severely disappointed.

"He went back to Kyuushu? Without waiting for me? That Echizen! What if he crashes into the nearest lamp pole?" Phillip had run off to hail a taxi.

"He did leave you a note and this though." Oishi said, handing over the items to Tezuka.

As Tezuka glanced at the note, he didn't notice that he wasn't the only one. A few other busybodies (Atobe, Fuji, Kikumaru, Momoshiro and Kaidou) were sneaking a peek at what Ryoma had written as well.

**Kunimitsu,**

**You're late.**

**Ah well. Looks like I'll have to **_**see**_** you some other time then.**

**In the meantime, I'm giving this to you for safekeeping.**

**Ever yours, Ryoma.**

"Fsshhh…!!!" the homophobic Kaidou had walked off blushing after seeing how Ryoma had signed his name, and Momoshiro had left too, coughing slightly.

As for the rest, they were keeping a safe distance away from the K-High captain. After all the trouble Tezuka had gone through just to make it here to see Ryoma, was that what Ryoma was supposed to say to Tezuka? 'You're late?'

To all their surprise, Tezuka had given a soft snort, which sounded suspiciously like laughter. Tezuka laughing…now that was even scarier than him exploding.

Tezuka stared at the note fondly again. Ryoma could be so cute sometimes. He shifted his gaze to the item in his other hand, the one for 'safekeeping'.

Apparently Ryoma had given Tezuka his gold medal.

'I'll keep this for you then, Ryoma.'

To be continued…

A/N: Finally finished this chapter…(collapses) Muahahahahaha…I didn't allow Tezuka and Echizen to meet at all. They've completely missed each other. I am so evil! Muahahahahaha!

By the way, before any of you point it out to me, I do know that Kabaji is supposed to be a third year, junior high school student if he follows the timeline of this fic. However, because of a baka mistake I made in the earlier chapters, I would have to change a lot of things if I were to correct this, so in my fic, he's in senior high, like Atobe and the others. Hope you all could try to picture that.

So sorry that some of the competitions were so rushed. I was trying like mad (and failing) to cut down on the words. Also, as mentioned in the other fic, so sorry for the delay. I've way overshot my two week time limit this time. :p

**bellashade**, Thx for pointing out that mistake in the previous chapter. Have already corrected and replaced the chapter.

**harrydracomalfoy**, (splutters) 5-50 chapters?! (faints). If 50 chappies per fic, that would be 100 chappies for both fics. My poor heart. XD . lol. Glad you like a possessive Tezuka. I like that too.

**merissala**, Hmm…at first it was supposed to be Rikkai Dai to win the Kantou Games. I had wanted Seigaku to lose at least once, but my pal and cousie managed to talk me out of it. Ehehehe.

**Erabu**, Kirihara Akira is an OC, so he only exists in this fic. :p In one of the later chapters, would have one fluff-packed for specially for TezukaEchizen. Better get the dentist ready. XD

Gomen that this round, the review replies for both fics are so little. The chapters are already too long. In the future, I would opt for PM instead of posting the replies like this.

**I would be going on a temporary hiatus, as my exams begin next week and would only end after the 5****th**** of May. Only after then I would be typing my next chapters, so please be patient with me.**

**Please Read and Review. No flames please.**

**-Gwyn**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. If I did, I would have been the happiest girl alive…**

**Warning: May contain spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic.**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen. Sanada X Yukimura**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 17 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: Be warned that this chapter has a lot of repetitions of the scenes in Kyuushu. I've tried my best to rephrase a lot of things, and had tried to reduce the conversations, but it is still quite repetitive. Gomen about that, and I hope it's still alright with you people.

There are scenes included in this fic which are excluded in the other, and vice versa.

**TezukaLove**, thanks for your review. I think the current two chapters might suit you coz there's so much fluff in it. As for me, I'm suffering from a slight overdose. XD

**WonderingAround**, lol. Don't worry. You didn't offend me. Will try my best to update.

**LoyalSupporter**, thanks. I'll try my best to update ASAP. As for my exams…I passed all papers, so I'm safe to the next semester. (Dances)

**Thank you all for your reviews**

To the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 19

After all the excitement during the Kantou Games, it was now back to school for the K-High members.

"Oishi! Ohayou!" Kikumaru glomped his doubles partner after he spotted the motherhen player entering the school gates.

"Ohayou. Eiji." Oishi returned the greeting as the both of them headed to class.

"We've made it into the Nationals again nya! I can't wait, even though it's another 3 more months. Ohayou!" Kikumaru chirped the minute he had entered class, and a few of their classmates greeted the enthusiastic player.

"You're pretty early, Eiji." Fuji smiled. Next to him, Tezuka gave a slight nod in greeting before returning to his books. Whenever he gets engrossed with reading, only tennis and Ryoma can pull his attention away from those huge tomes.

Apparently he was not the only one occupied. Atobe too was busy on the phone, while checking himself out in his pocket mirror at the same time.

"So he will be returning today? Good. Arrange for a limo to pick me up from school at 2 sharp. I do not like to be late and you know that. Very well." He ended the call.

"Tezuka. Ore-sama will be busy later with very important, personal matters. Ore-sama will have to take the day off from practice today." Atobe told the captain.

"Aa." Tezuka gave his permission. Knowing Atobe, who valued tennis as much as he did his riches, he must have a good reason to skip practice, and did not ask him further about it.

"How unfair, Oishi. Why is it that I will have to give a good reason if I wish to skip practice, and Atobe fukubuchou doesn't have to?" Kikumaru complained.

Tezuka made a slow turn of his head, pinning the acrobatic player with a stern gaze.

"That is because, Kikumaru, sometimes you tend to skip practice whenever you feel like it. Atobe, on the other hand, takes tennis very seriously, and will not skip practice unless he really has to."

"Oh? So you do know how to judge ore-sama's character after all. You're a better peasant than ore-sama thought." Atobe stated, looking rather pleased. Tezuka resisted the urge to roll his eyes and settled with just ignoring him instead.

"Good morning class. Settle down now." Their biology teacher had just walked in. The headmaster had assigned some other teachers to tutor the former L class, so that poor Ayaka wouldn't be the only teacher teaching this class. Ayaka would only be teaching them English and Japanese now.

As Tezuka put away the huge tome he was reading, Kikumaru caught a glint of gold in his bag and whispered that to Oishi. Somehow, both Atobe and Asakawa, who were seated behind the Golden Pair, had heard him as well, and now all four snickered.

"Saa…Tezuka. Carrying around lucky charms now, are you?" Fuji asked, an innocent smile on his face. Obviously Fuji saw the item in his bag too.

Tezuka ignored him. His other five regulars knew that he had Ryoma's medal with him anyway. Ever since the day it was entrusted to him for 'safekeeping', Tezuka had always carried it around with him.

There was one more thing Tezuka was looking forward to. He had already booked the ticket to Kyuushu, having made the promise to look for Ryoma right after the Kantou Games. He wondered if his boyfriend still remembered that promise though.

Once the lessons have ended, all of them made their way to the clubroom (except Atobe, who had left early). As all of them changed to their sports attire, not surprisingly, the topic had somehow shifted to Ryoma.

"As usual, that cheeky Ochibi, sneaking all the way back without telling any of us. By the way, Ochibi can see again. Did he mention that to any of you?" Kikumaru asked.

Everyone brightened at the news. Tezuka's expression did not change, since the Golden Pair mentioned this to him on the day of the Kantou Games itself. "So he has made a full recovery. That's good." Fuji said.

"Nearly a full recovery. His match against Kirihara seemed to have aggravated some injuries." Tezuka corrected quietly, having just received a text message from a rather unhappy sounding Ryoma. The poor boy would be stranded in Kyuushu for another few weeks.

"Still, he is recovering steadily, and that's enough of a relief. After that nightmare, I'm glad that things are slowly going back to normal." Oishi shuddered as he recalled the horrible accident which had put Ryoma into this state.

"Aa." Tezuka put on his jersey and walked out of the clubroom, though before he did, he turned around slightly.

"Practice will be starting in 10 minutes. Do not be late." He warned.

"Hai." The regulars chorused.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Atobe was at the airport, waiting for his cousin's return.

Shortly after 3pm, he spotted his target, a head of blond amongst a sea of brunettes.

"Keigo-sama! Have you been waiting long?" Phillip asked, a wide smile on his face the minute he saw the diva.

"Not really. Don't worry about it. I'm a very patient person." Atobe declared, earning a snort of laughter from his younger cousin.

"Indeed." Phillip said as the two made their way to Atobe's limousine.

As they were driven back to Atobe's main mansion, the diva gave a snap of his fingers, and his servant hurried to pour them both drinks.

"So. How does it feel now that your job as a guide is over?" Atobe asked, taking one glass of juice. Ryoma had regained his sight, which meant that Phillip's services were no longer necessary.

Phillip gave a sigh and relaxed back against the seat. "To be honest, I'm relieved. Now there's no one that would give me the silent treatment, no one to make sarcastic comments, no one to act all stubborn, no one to make unreasonable demands. Oh yes…I'm relieved." Phillip began gnawing on a cherry he had fished out of the juice, venting the frustrations he had felt for the past few months.

Atobe blinked at how traumatized his cousin was, though eventually, the diva began to snicker.

"I did warn you that you might regret this when you've first asked to take the job, but you were so adamant in helping out this 'idol' of yours."

"They really didn't write anything about his character in the magazines." He grumbled. He was first hooked on to tennis after years of listening to Atobe about the sport and his beautiful tennis skills. Because of his obsession, he then made sure to collect every single edition of the Tennis Monthly. After that, he became a fan of Ryoma's after reading about the prodigy's prowess in the junior high tennis world, and even more so after reading that Ryoma had defeated Atobe (much to the diva's displeasure). Now he wasn't so sure if he still idolized Ryoma.

"I wouldn't really say that he's a terrible person. Echizen is just rather…complex. He's an anti-social, yet at the same time, he does defend those close to him…when he feels like it. There were several times he had surprisingly defended me when the nurses were about to kill me off for letting him out of the center. So he can be nice if he wants to." Phillip said thoughtfully, recalling some of his experiences of dealing with the bratty prince.

"Aa. Only someone as equally complicated as Echizen would date that brat." Atobe stated, and both cousins chuckled at that.

They soon reached Atobe's mansion, and once Phillip placed his belongings in one of Atobe's guest rooms, the blonde fell back onto the bed with a happy sigh.

"It's been ages since I last slept on a bed. I am not going to sleep in another futon for the next ten years." He declared.

"Speaking of ages, I've requested for your school to let you off for three months, but you've overshot that period by a few days. Don't worry about it though. I'm sure I can help to speak on your behalf, and I can be really persuasive." Atobe smirked.

Phillip rolled his eyes. "I don't doubt that." He said, remembering how Atobe had 'persuaded' the school to give him leave for three months in the first place, so that he could take the job as Ryoma's guide/bodyguard.

"Well, I'm not too worried about you. Knowing you, you would have done self-study when you have the free time, so I don't think it's a problem for you catching up with your lessons." Atobe said.

"Aa. Echizen's silent treatments were quite unbearable, and he tended to practice against the wall for hours, but at least that gave me plenty of time to catch up on my schoolwork while I was waiting for him to be done." Phillip stated.

He sat on the edge of his bed. He was already so used to looking out for Echizen, he couldn't help feeling a bit worried for the junior high captain.

"While I am quite confident that I'd have no problem once I return to school, I can't say the same for Echizen. I've tried reading his lessons to him when I had the free time, and after dinner, but that guy was more concerned over tennis. I'm not sure of how much of my words did he manage to get into his head before he dropped off to sleep every night." Phillip frowned.

Atobe tried to stifle his laughter at that. He knew from personal experience that Phillip could be a slave driver when he tutors someone, and he sounded so much like a lecturer, any insomniac could be easily put to sleep by him.

"If he's not listening, it'd be his funeral. You've already done your part, Phillip." Atobe reassured.

Phillip gave a weak smile. "I guess so. I'm glad that it's over. Hopefully Echizen would behave himself now that I'm gone. I will not be able to look out for him anymore. I'm starting to worry. What if he offends the doctors and gets himself into trouble…or what if that bunch of tennis players come looking for him again. What if…"

As Phillip began worrying, Atobe buried his face in his hand. 'Damn you, Echizen. You've turned my cousin into Oishi!'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sensei!"

The History teacher gave a squawk of surprise, dropping the chalk he was holding at being addressed so abruptly. He turned around to find one of his students walking up to him with a very stern gaze.

"W-what is it…urm…Tezuka-kun?" he asked, his eyes briefly flicking to the boy's nametag.

Tezuka bent over slightly, so that he was at the teacher's height.

"You're supposed to be writing question 4 on the board, but you're doing question 3. Also, the year is 1986, not 1886." With that, Tezuka gave a bow and returned to his seat, while the teacher double checked with the textbook he was holding before giving a sheepish laugh.

"You're right, Tezuka-kun. Thank you for mentioning it." He said, his face flushing slightly as the class laughed.

As Tezuka sat down, Fuji gave a soft chuckle.

"Did you really have to tell him, Tezuka? I found it rather amusing." Fuji asked.

Tezuka frowned. "It is necessary for him to get the facts right on the board. Otherwise, our classmates might get their notes wrong."

"You're too serious sometimes, Tezuka." Kikumaru complained.

Atobe gave a snort. "He has to. He's got his reputation as a model student to keep, doesn't he?"

When class ended, the students hurried to pack their bags, all eager to enjoy the weekends. The tennis club members too were given a whole week off, as the third years were having their trial exams.

"Fuji. Want to come over to my place? I have this really cool new game. Also, Nee-san has prepared a chocolate cake. You can come over to share some." Kikumaru chirped.

"Arigatou, Eiji. Let's go then. Ah…what about Oishi?" Fuji asked, turning to the motherhen.

Oishi shook his head. "Tezuka will be coming over to my house for a study session later, so I'll have to pass."

"Mou…sometimes even you are too serious." Kikumaru pouted.

Oishi gave a laugh at that. "Gomen, Eiji. I'll join you some other time then. Shall we go, Tezuka?"

"Aa." With that, the captain and his best friend left.

They headed to Kawamura Sushi for lunch first though. Kawamura had been busy wiping the tables when the both of them walked in.

"Oh? Tezuka, Oishi. It's good to see the both of you again." The former Seigaku regular greeted.

"You're looking well, Taka-san." Oishi smiled.

As the two sat down, Kawamura went about preparing their usual lunch orders. Once he had served the sushi, he sat down to join them in conversation.

"You both had just left school?" he asked.

"Aa." Oishi confirmed, while Tezuka remained quiet, as usual. There weren't that many customers now, as it was before lunch hour, so Kawamura did have some time to speak to them.

"It really has been a while since I saw the both of you. How is everyone?" Kawamura asked again.

"Everyone's just fine. I believe Eiji and Fuji are enjoying some video games now. As for our team…we made it into the Nationals." He grinned.

"Oh. I know that. You've all been mentioned in the Tennis Monthly. By the way, is it true that Echizen actually snuck all the way back to compete? He was on the front page." Kawamura stated.

Tezuka picked up his cup of tea. "Aa." He replied before taking a slow sip.

"That guy hasn't really changed at all. His character is still the same as when he was a first year." Kawamura sighed.

Oishi laughed at that. "Yeah, he's the same as ever. He is a little more responsible now though, since he is the new Seigaku captain. I think Tezuka here has managed to pound that trait into him, at least."

The both of them threw teasing looks at Tezuka, who remained as expressionless as ever.

"If he has really recovered, do bring him over. The sushis will be on the house to celebrate his recovery."

"Eh? We can't do that, Taka-san. It will be too much trouble." Oishi protested.

Kawamura gave a laugh at that. "Don't worry about it. It's not too much of a hassle."

"Oi, Takashi. It's lunch hour. Get to the kitchens immediately." Kawamura senior's voice could be heard moments later.

Kawamura hurriedly straightened up. "I'll talk to you guys some other time. Good luck with your practices."

"Arigatou, Taka-san." Oishi gave a nod to Kawamura, who left to the back.

Tezuka had finished his meal and was waiting for Oishi to be done as well. He calmly sipped on his tea while Oishi chewed on the last few pieces of his lunch.

Once the both of them have paid for their meals, Oishi slung his bag over his shoulder. "Let's go now. It's best to make use of the time we have."

They then proceeded to Oishi's house. "Tadaima." Oishi called out.

"Okaeri, Syuichirou. Oro, Tezuka-kun." Oishi mother said as she walked out from one of the rooms.

"Good afternoon, aunty. Sorry to interrupt." Tezuka greeted politely.

"Not at all, Tezuka-kun. It's always a pleasure to have you over. I'll have refreshments ready in a moment." She said, walking to the kitchens.

"Arigatou." Tezuka responded.

Oishi led Tezuka to his room. "Okaa-san. Please bring the drinks to my room later. Tezuka and I will be studying."

The minute they had entered Oishi's room, both of them set about tackling their Biology notes immediately as they discussed about the possible topics that might be questioned during the exams one month from now.

Oishi's mother entered the room and chuckled as she saw the both of them now highlighting some key points in their notes.

"Exams? When will that be?" She asked, setting down the drinks on Oishi's table.

"Late September. It will be our finals for this year." Oishi told his mother.

"Oh? Good luck to the both of you then. I'm glad that you're revising so early." She knew that them revising this early had to do with the studious K-High captain, who was extremely consistent with his studies. Her Syuichirou was very lucky to have such a best friend.

After his mother had left, Oishi and Tezuka continued on with their revisions in silence, occasionally discussing parts they had questions on. After two hours, they decided to call it a day as they kept their notes.

"I believe we should have no problems with this subject now. Hopefully Eiji will be revising too. Biology seems to be his weakest subject. Say, Tezuka. Shall we have a study session for Physics tomorrow? This time we'll get Fuji and Eiji to join us too." Oishi suggested.

Tezuka shook his head. "Gomen, Oishi. I have something on tomorrow, so I will not be able to make it."

"I see. Never mind then." Oishi noticed that Tezuka was still making notes and took a peek. "Tezuka…why are you studying these…these are junior high textbooks…"

Tezuka paused a while. "I'm preparing this for tomorrow. I'm going to Kyuushu." He stated simply.

For a while, Oishi didn't get him. After some time, however, a look of realization came upon his face.

"I see. You're going to keep your promise to Ryoma, huh. It will be tough for him to catch up on the lessons that he had missed. By the way, how would you know which are the parts he will need to be studying?"

"I've gone to Seishun Gakuen yesterday to ask Kato and Mizuno, and they gave me the rough scope of the lessons." Tezuka replied, now going through the Math text book and making notes on the tougher chapters, so that it would be easier for him to explain to Ryoma tomorrow. He will be making notes on history, geography, science and math. As for the other subjects, he wasn't too worried about them. His Ryoma should be fine on his own.

Oishi smiled at Tezuka's dedication. "Pass me that geography text. I'll help you out."

"Arigatou." Tezuka thanked him as Oishi took the book.

"Don't mention it. What are best friends for?"

XXX

Tezuka sat staring out the window as he pondered about what his plans for today were. He will take Ryoma out on a date, of course, but that will have to come after Ryoma's revisions. He always believed that work should come before play, and he vaguely wondered how Ryoma will react to this. Knowing his boyfriend, Ryoma might not be so thrilled with the idea of sitting still for a whole of two hours doing nothing but studies, but seeing that Ryoma was really falling behind on his lessons, he didn't have much of a choice.

"We will be arriving in Kyuushu shortly. Please make sure that your seatbelts are on…" the announcement could be heard, and minutes later, the plane landed at the airport.

Tezuka took a taxi to the center. Once he reached there, he glanced down at his watch. It was 1.15pm. He was late by fifteen minutes, even though he had hoped to arrive before the appointed time.

Jogging into the center, he was disappointed to find that Ryoma wasn't anywhere in sight. That boy wouldn't hold a grudge on him just because he was a little late now, would he?

He waited for a while. The nurse at the receptionist counter looked up at him as she noticed him standing there.

"Oh, Tezuka-kun. What brings you here?" she asked.

"I'm looking for Echizen Ryoma. Is he around?" Tezuka asked.

The nurse checked the schedules. "He just had some training about an hour ago. I believe he should be in his room. Just go left. It's the very last room down the hall. You won't miss it."

Tezuka thanked her and made his way to Ryoma's room. He found it alright. Presidential Suite.

'Atobe…' Tezuka frowned. Definitely a room the diva would have booked.

He raised a hand to knock, though the next moment the door opened, revealing a rather flustered Ryoma in the doorway.

Both of them stared at each other. Tezuka noted that Ryoma's hair and clothes were slightly tussled, and guessed that the Seigaku captain must have just awakened from a nap.

"Kunimitsu…incredible…I must still be asleep." Ryoma muttered, looking as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

Tezuka smiled at that. "Don't tell me you've forgotten my promise. I did say that I will come meet you after the Kantou Games." He reached out and ruffled Ryoma's hair.

The Seigaku captain finally smiled. "It really is you. I was afraid that I was only dreaming." As he spoke, he threw his arms around Tezuka, and the K-High captain gladly hugged him back. With Ryoma pressed against him, Tezuka could vaguely hear the Seigaku captain's stomach rumble.

He tried not to smile at that as he held Ryoma's shoulders. "I can guess that you haven't had lunch yet."

Ryoma blinked up at him. "Aa." The boy looked like he had only just realized he was hungry.

Without wasting another moment, Tezuka took Ryoma by the hand and led him out of the room. He headed to the cafeteria, which was the nearest and fastest source of food for his famished boyfriend.

He placed two orders for Lunch Set A- a Japanese meal set, as he remembered that his boyfriend liked Japanese food. After paying for the meal, he took both trays to their table and set the food down.

He had guessed right. His boyfriend was really hungry, as Tezuka could see that Ryoma was trying hard not to wolf down his meal. They ate in silence, as neither of them liked to speak when they were eating. Once they were done, Tezuka cleared both trays away before speaking to Ryoma.

"I must admit that I was a little disappointed to hear that you've returned for the competitions, and you've told me nothing about it." Tezuka began.

Ryoma shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Gomen…it was a spontaneous thing, and I didn't want to distract your attention from your competitions." He mumbled.

Tezuka had to hide a smile. He wasn't angry, and he was just teasing Ryoma to see his reaction. He reached across the table to touch Ryoma's head. "I was only joking. When I've heard of your return, I knew that it sounded just like something you would have pulled off, so I wasn't too surprised." 'But all the same, I was a little disappointed to not hear this directly from you.' Tezuka added mentally.

Tezuka stood up. "Let's return to your room. I have something I want to give to you."

He glanced down and saw Ryoma's poorly hidden excitement on his face, and felt sorry for having to spoil that expression.

Once they were back, Tezuka rummaged through his bag and took out the notes he had prepared beforehand.

"Here." He passed them to Ryoma, who took a glance at them wordlessly.

He tried to study Ryoma's reaction to that, but was without any luck, as Ryoma's face was blank. Ryoma flipped through the notes for a while. It was only after a few minutes had passed did he glance up to stare at Tezuka.

"You…compiled this?" he asked.

"Aa. You were away from school for over 3 months already, and I went to ask your classmates about the lessons you have missed. I've tried my best to simplify those notes already. If it's still confusing, please let me know." Tezuka explained.

For a while, Ryoma's expression was still blank, and Tezuka was beginning to worry if the boy was disappointed for not getting something better from him.

Not too long later, Ryoma smiled, walking over to him. "Sankyuu, Kunimitsu. You went through all these trouble for me." He gave Tezuka a kiss, and the K-High captain felt that all his efforts were very well paid for indeed.

All right. So passing the notes to Ryoma was a success. Now for part two of the plan. What would Ryoma say about them spending the whole day doing nothing but revising? He doubted that Ryoma will be too happy.

He would rather go straight to the point though. Work must come before play, and he would hold strong to that phrase.

"Ryoma…I was hoping that for today, we'll go through those notes of yours."

Just as he feared, Ryoma was giving him another blank stare.

"It's already late afternoon, so there really isn't much time for us even if we go out now. Instead, I was hoping we could use the rest of the day to study."

More blank stares. By now, Tezuka wished that he could read what was going on in Ryoma's mind.

"I was thinking of going out on a date with you tomorrow, as we will have the whole day then. I'm only returning to Tokyo late evening." Tezuka further explained himself.

At last, a change of expression on Ryoma's face as the younger boy looked relieved. "I see."

Tezuka gave an inward sigh of relief. Ryoma looked like he had agreed to the plan. With that, he picked up the Math notes. "Let's begin then."

"Usu." Ryoma replied, taking a seat next to his boyfriend.

XXX

Tezuka paused on one of the sentences, as he noticed that Ryoma was staring at him blankly. He was already impressed by how Ryoma had managed to keep his concentration on the notes up till now, but it looked like the younger boy had finally reached his limit.

"Would you like to take a break?" he asked. For them to be studying the notes for so many hours at a go, it might be quite taxing for his boyfriend. He was fine with it, as he was so used to it already, but Ryoma seemed to always take it easy with his studies, and might not be so accustomed to this.

Ryoma shook his head, his facial expression showing that he was being stubborn. "There's no need to. Go on."

Tezuka wondered about that. He tried to think of a way to give Ryoma's concentration a boost. After a while, he thought of an idea.

He took up the next pile of notes-Science. "Seeing this subject reminds me. Your class had a short quiz on this a while ago. I believe one of your regulars, the one called the Chessmaster had scored nearly full marks on this. He wishes for me to pass the message to you that he had beaten your high score."

He felt rather guilty at fabricating part of this statement. Ryoma's classmate had mentioned about his score, but he most certainly did not say anything about "passing the message".

"Nani?!" Apparently, the effects of his words were very strong indeed. Ryoma hated losing after all. He was the one to open the doors to the Pinnacle of Perfection after all, with 'Perfection' being the keyword.

"Oh. Kato-kun mentioned that he had beaten your Math score, and Mizuno-kun mentioned that he had beaten your History score." Tezuka added while keeping a straight face.

He didn't need to speak any further, as the next moment; Ryoma had snatched the Science notes from his hands and was browsing through it with frenzied interest.

"Mada mada dane." Ryoma muttered, the words 'I will not lose to them' written all over his face.

He did not see the small smile on Tezuka's face. Mission Accomplished.

XXX

Somehow, Tezuka had ended up spending the night at Ryoma's room, even though his initial plan had been to head over to Tachibana's place instead. He couldn't refuse those golden eyes, which were staring at him hopefully when Ryoma suggested that he stayed over at his room.

As far as he knew, the center would be alright with this, just as long as he told the reception counter about this beforehand. Now then, his lodgings for the night were settled. One more problem arose now. After all, Ryoma had mentioned before that there was only one bed, and he'd rather drink Inui Juice than take advantage of his boyfriend by being in the same bed with him.

Ryoma seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he was, for no sooner had Tezuka set his bag down on the floor, Ryoma had taken a futon and was unrolling it.

"You'll sleep on the bed tonight. I'll use Phillip's old futon." He stated.

For a while, Tezuka blinked. Phillip's old futon? So they weren't sharing a bed? He didn't have to kill Atobe for the room arrangements after all.

"No. This is your room, Ryoma. You'll sleep on the bed. I'll sleep on the futon."

"Yadda." Ryoma said stubbornly.

Tezuka's glasses flashed. "I'll insist." If he had known that by spending the night here, he would be chasing his boyfriend to the floor, he would rather have gone over to Tachibana's instead.

Ryoma pinned him with his golden gaze. "Yadda." He repeated.

They were probably the only two fools in the whole world who would fight over who to sleep on the _floor_. Finally, Tezuka gave a sigh.

"Let's decide this on Peasant's Game…er…I mean, Rock, Scissors, Paper." He said.

Ryoma raised an eyebrow. "Haa?"

"The winner will get to choose where he wishes to sleep on." Tezuka continued.

Ryoma shrugged. "Whatever then."

Did Tezuka ever mention before that he was completely luckless when it came to this game? Apparently it wasn't just Atobe who could beat him at this, but his Ryoma too. Somehow, his Paper was shredded by Ryoma's Scissors.

He had lost, and Ryoma was now happily making himself comfortable in the futon after changing to his nightwear.

'Oh well. He looks so happy even though he's sleeping on the floor. Ryoma's ways of showing his affections are very odd indeed.' Tezuka thought to himself, smiling slightly as he settled on the bed.

XXX

A sneeze woke Tezuka, who was a light sleeper anyway.

Sitting up on the bed, he fumbled for his glasses and put them on, turning instinctively to Ryoma.

The boy was still asleep, by the looks of it. Deciding that he must have heard wrong, he made to take off his glasses when there was another sneeze again.

Immediately, Tezuka got out of bed and strode quietly over to Ryoma, who had kicked off the covers of his futon in his sleep, and was now under the full blast of the air conditioning system.

"You're insisting on sleeping in the futon even though you can't really take the cold, Ryoma." He stroked Ryoma's black-green hair, though the boy did not stir. Now he knew why Ryoma was frequently late for practices. When he slept, not even an earthquake could wake him.

Carefully, Tezuka carried Ryoma over to the bed instead, setting him down and pulling the covers on him. He made sure to tuck the boy in nicely, so that he wouldn't kick off the covers again and catch another cold. Once he was satisfied with his work, he went to sleep on the futon.

"10 laps…" Ryoma mumbled in his sleep. Tezuka gave a shudder. If Ryoma found out about this, he might not be too happy. Well, he was pretty confident that he would wake earlier than the other boy though, so he should be able avoid running any laps.

XXX

Tezuka woke at 6am, as usual. He stole a glance at Ryoma, relieved to see him still asleep. Not wasting another moment, he headed over to the bathroom to wash up before going out for a morning jog.

When he returned around 8, he found his boyfriend still asleep. What time did this guy usually wake anyway? He headed into the bathroom to take a shower and had only just put on his clothes when he heard Ryoma call his name.

Ryoma would definitely have noticed the change of 'venue' by now. "Oh. You're awake." He said casually as he walked out.

"Weren't you supposed to be the one sleeping on the bed? What am I doing here then?" Surely enough, he didn't sound happy.

"I woke early." Tezuka stated. It wasn't a lie. He woke early indeed. 1AM, to be more exact, thanks to Ryoma sneezing. "So I decided to put you on the bed since I'm already up, and would most likely not be sleeping anymore." Not sleeping on the bed, but in the futon, that is.

That explanation seemed to have satisfied Ryoma, who didn't question him about it anymore. The younger boy then headed over to the bathroom to wash up.

Tezuka waited patiently for him to be done, and the boy walked out with loose fitting clothes. Tezuka inwardly agreed to Ryoma's choice of clothing, which looked like it wouldn't restrict his movements should they play tennis later.

XXX

As he had promised, Tezuka took Ryoma out of the center for their date. He made sure to fill in the necessary forms before he did so though, much to the doctor's relief.

They headed first for breakfast, of course. Ryoma was doing a rather poor job at hiding his hunger…or at least, his rumbling stomach was doing a poor job.

"Irasshai! Welcome to Ichiban Teriyaki restaurant!" A waiter greeted at the door the minute the both of them entered.

The restaurant owner nodded at Tezuka, and he gave a nod back in greeting. It looked like the owner still remembered him.

As they sat down, Ryoma leaned over to Tezuka's side slightly. "Ne, Kunimitsu. Are you familiar with this place?"

"Aa. I come here often for my meals." Tezuka affirmed. From experience, he knew that this place served very good Japanese food, which should make Ryoma happy.

Surely enough, when their food arrived, Ryoma's eyes were already fixed hungrily on the grilled fish.

Tezuka poured some soy sauce into a small dish and placed it before Ryoma. "Itadakimasu." Both of them said before enjoying their breakfast.

As he ate his favourite dish-Unacha, Tezuka looked up to see Ryoma trying his best not to wolf down his meal.

"Is it good?" Tezuka asked, though he already knew the answer to that.

"It's delicious." For that statement to come from a boy of few comments, it certainly was a praise for this restaurant already.

Once they have finished, before Tezuka could pay the bill, Ryoma had beat him to it.

The junior high captain then gave him a satisfied smirk. "You're the one to introduce this place to me. As thanks, the bill is mine."

Tezuka had to hide a smile. "Arigatou then, Ryoma."

XXX

After breakfast, they had a short round at the game center before heading off to a sports equipment shop.

"I could use some grip tape…" Ryoma was saying thoughtfully to himself.

Tezuka was silently studying a few of the shoes on display. As he stood there, one teenager accidentally bumped into him.

"Watch where you're going!" the boy snapped. Tezuka didn't say anything as he decided to let it be. There were always people like that around.

Ryoma seemed to have noticed though, and his golden eyes narrowed slightly. The boy had then walked over to another pal.

"Come on then. I'll show you my skills now. I've been playing this sport for 5 years, so you could really learn some moves from me." He bragged while swinging a racket he had taken from the display shelf.

"Mada mada dane…" Ryoma muttered as he walked past the teenager, heading towards the counter to pay for his new grip tape.

Once he was done, he turned around only to find the boy standing right before him. "What did you say? Are you looking down on my skills?" he asked, offended.

"Ryoma…let's go." Tezuka frowned at his boyfriend. He didn't want any trouble to brew in this shop.

Ryoma was not one who liked to back down though. He merely gave a smirk. "**Your poise is lousy, your grip is weak, your knees are too stiff and your hair is ugly. Do you think you can beat me with that kind of level? I know of someone with 3 years of tennis experience who could probably play better than you. Go home, take a dictionary and translate what I've said. Stupid.**" After spouting a whole load of English sentences on the poor guy, Ryoma sidestepped and followed Tezuka out of the shop. He smirked at the two teenagers' attempts to translate his words, which were spoken with an American accent.

"Honestly, Ryoma. You don't have to throw a challenge at everyone you see." Tezuka scolded slightly.

Playful golden eyes blinked at him. "I don't see anything wrong with that. I was only stating the truth."

Tezuka shook his head. The word 'bratty' really suited his boyfriend well.

XXX

They went to a café for lunch. Tezuka ordered some grilled beef kebab while Ryoma ordered a fish burger.

Their food and drinks arrived, as did Ryoma's dessert.

"Here you go sir. One extra large chocolate mint and strawberry sundae special." The waiter set it before the black-green haired boy.

Ryoma's eyes were digging into the treat before him greedily, and Tezuka gave a light laugh. "That looks like quite a sundae you've ordered."

The rational part of his mind, however, was screaming. 'Goodness. That thing looks so sweet. In fact, how much sugar is in that? Is that even healthy?'

Ryoma seemed to have a high tolerance level for sugar though, as he savoured the sundae, his face showing blissfulness. Then again, this was the boy who drank Ponta on a daily basis after all.

"Why don't you order something as well?" the younger captain suddenly asked Tezuka.

Tezuka glanced down at the menu. 'Looks sweet…looks sweet too…looks too sweet…' His mind was analyzing the names of the desserts, and was deducing whether they were possibly safe for consumption.

After a while, he stopped a passing waiter. "I'll have one green tea ice-cream."

Once the both of them were done eating, Tezuka looked up to see Ryoma frowning slightly.

"Ne, Kunimitsu. We'll be playing tennis today right?" the younger boy asked.

"Of course. I can't imagine any of our dates without that." Tezuka stated honestly as he took a bite of kebab.

Ryoma chuckled slightly. "That's true."

As they ate, the topic had somehow shifted to Kanto High. Ryoma's golden gaze were trained on Tezuka as the older captain described the school's current situation.

"Hmm? So Atobe's aunt was kicked off and your old headmaster has returned? That's good." Ryoma said after getting some much delayed updates from his boyfriend.

"Aa. Our school is just like any normal high school now, so you don't have to worry." As Tezuka spoke, he took a bite of his green tea ice-cream.

"One more thing. How is my baka oyaji training your team? Knowing him, he'd be absent from practices most of the times. You really should assign him laps." Ryoma frowned slightly as he spoke.

Tezuka chuckled. Ryoma really knew his dad well. "If only I could assign him laps. Well, he's usually acting rather aloof, but when he trains us, he's serious. I didn't expect any less of him, considering his passion for tennis. However, there are a few times when he would throw in odd practices."

::Short Flashback::

"_What is this?" Atobe asked, looking highly displeased._

_Currently, all eight regulars stood in the middle of the courts, each with a bucket of water balanced on their heads. Nanjirou stood before them, grinning broadly._

"_Don't ask that many questions. I'm your coach after all. This is to test your endurance, your patience and your concentration. Do not let the bucket topple over, and do not let even a drop of water fall to the ground."_

"_For how long would we be doing this practice?" Yamato asked politely._

_Nanjirou's grin widened, if that was possible. "Mada mada dana." _

_Tezuka merely folded his arms, frowning at that. "Minna. Yudan sezu ni ikkou." _

_All the regulars began the difficult task of imitating statues, though Tezuka didn't seem to have any problems with this, since he was one himself. Nanjirou whipped out a porn magazine and sat on the ground right before them, flipping through the pages happily. Several times they heard him give a perverted snicker, and a few of them nearly dropped their buckets as a shiver ran down their spines._

_Occasionally the monk would look up. "Oh? Any of you tired yet? Or perhaps you'd like to read this magazine too?"_

"_No thank you." Tezuka stated flatly at seeing that Nanjirou was brandishing the offensive material especially in his direction._

_Nanjirou snorted. "Such a good boy. Are you really a teenager?" With that, he resumed reading._

_Not too long later, a frog had leapt out of one of Nanjirou's monk robe's sleeves. Who knew how the amphibian had gotten there in the first place._

_There was an instantaneous reaction from Atobe, who gave a loud yell and leapt backwards in disgust, upending his bucket. Somehow, he had caused a domino chain as he knocked into Kikumaru, who fell face first onto Oishi, and the list went on until all regulars found themselves on the ground, completely drenched in cold water._

_Nanjirou looked at his watch. "Such a pity. All of you can only last for over an hour. Even my Ryoma could do better than that."_

"_We wouldn't have fallen over if it wasn't because of Atobe nya." Kikumaru protested._

_Atobe's eyes narrowed. "How is it my fault? What was that disgusting creature doing in his sleeve anyway?"_

"_So Atobe is afraid of frogs…" Fuji began chuckling, the gears in his sadistic mind already beginning to turn._

_Nanjirou shook his head, keeping his magazine. "Alright. All of you. 20 laps around the tennis courts."_

"_That's easy." Asakawa said, already heading off._

"_Now, now, seishonen-tachi. Wait till this old man has finished his sentence first before you all go running off. Youths nowadays really aren't cute at all. I didn't ask for all of you to run 20 laps. You're all to frog-jump 20 laps."_

_There was a brief moment of silence._

"_EH?!"_

::End of Flashback::

"I understand all your feeling perfectly…" Ryoma muttered solemnly.

Tezuka finished the last of his ice-cream. With that, he stood up.

"Now then. Let's make a move on. After we've rested a little, we'll go to the park for tennis. What say you?"

"Usu." Ryoma agreed immediately.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were done sightseeing for the day, and when they've finally reached the park, to their relief, there was at least one tennis court available for them.

Tezuka removed the jacket he was wearing, took his racket and headed over to the court. Ryoma was already there waiting, holding his racket before the net.

"Which?"

"Smooth." Tezuka replied, watching his boyfriend spin the racket.

It was Tezuka's serve, and the Kanto High captain positioned himself at the baseline.

"I'll be serving now."

"Anytime, Kunimitsu." Ryoma smirked slightly, already prepared.

Tezuka used his high speed serve, and Ryoma had only managed to return it in the nick of time.

"The speed is much faster than before. The power too…you've been practicing, haven't you?"

"Aa. For you to be able to catch up to that, I can guess that you've not been idle either." Tezuka replied as he returned the shot.

The older captain noted with satisfaction that Ryoma seemed to have recovered quite well, as he was doing perfect split steps across the courts. Well, even though Ryoma had improved, he still couldn't beat him in a rally just yet, as Tezuka still had the upper hand to this. Unless Ryoma activated the Pinnacle of Perfection, that was.

Not that Ryoma was using his ultimate skill at all. The boy was strangely still reserving it, and Tezuka too did not use his Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami, deciding that it wouldn't be a fair match if he did so.

"Ne, Kunimitsu. I'll be using my right hand to play against you. My hand needs a lot of practice now that I've finally recovered." Ryoma declared, tossing the racket into the air and catching it with his right hand.

"Is that so? I'll play with my right hand too then." With that, Tezuka's racket too switched hands.

When it came to a right-handed rally, that was when Ryoma had the advantage, since he was ambidextrous. Tezuka was putting up a great fight though, as he too did not have any problems using his right hand to play.

Tezuka noticed that there were a crowd of people slowly surrounding their court, as many came to watch their match. Ryoma seemed to be too absorbed with the game, so he severely doubted the younger boy had noticed their presence.

"Whoa…is there some competition going on here?"

"A match between pros…sugoi…"

Tezuka scored again, bringing the scores to 6 games all.

"Let's take a break." He suggested.

"Usu." Ryoma took the towel Tezuka offered him. He looked up when their spectators began applauding.

"Oh? When were there that many people watching?" Ryoma's tone was filled with surprise. Tezuka had guessed right about him being oblivious to their presence.

"They came to watch as our match went on." Tezuka replied, taking a gulp of water.

He had just set his drink down when he heard Ryoma's voice.

"What do you want?"

Looking over, he saw a kid, who looked around 7 to 8 years old, standing meekly before Ryoma, and guessed that this was one of the spectators watching their match just now.

"A-anou…onii-chan…is it alright if we have a match against you?" he asked.

Tezuka frowned slightly. 'We?' He looked up and realized that there were another three kids looking at the both of them with wide, hopeful eyes.

Ryoma took a sip of Ponta. "Mada mada dane. You will not be able to last a minute against any of us."

'Ryoma…that was very tactless…' Tezuka thought, a huge sweatdrop on his head as the boy whimpered, his eyes beginning to water.

Before the boy could start wailing, however, Tezuka had gotten up and placed a hand on his head.

"It's alright. I'll play against you then. Your friends can join us."

The boy's face changed from sad to glad in mere moments, as he ran back to his friends to tell them the news. Tezuka looked down to see Ryoma frowning slightly.

"You don't have to be so harsh to them. They're only children."

"They can't win against us anyway, so why give them false hopes?" Ryoma retorted.

Tezuka sighed. "I don't think they meant to have a serious match against us. I believe they just want to play against us for fun. It wouldn't hurt to try training them a little. You might have club members like these in the future, so why don't you consider this as training for you as Seigaku captain?"

At that, Ryoma finally agreed. "Fine then."

Tezuka was right in guessing that they were quite new to this, and he started off by correcting their grip.

"This is not baseball. You don't hold the racket with both hands. Hold it like this." He instructed whilst setting an example to them.

Being children, they followed obediently, and after he had shown them how to swing a racket properly, he hit a few shots to them.

"Ryoma, you'll try playing against one of them." He called over to the green-haired boy, who was still seated on the bench.

"Usu."

Tezuka made sure each of the children had a chance to play, and instructed them to take turns between shots. A small smile spread on his face as he saw how they were enjoying themselves. It reminded him of his younger days, when his passion for tennis had just awakened. With any luck, these children might be regulars in their teams in the future.

He looked over to see how Ryoma was doing and sweatdropped again. Apparently Ryoma was using his usual play style. His poor opponent couldn't even hit any of the shots.

"I'll take over for you." Tezuka sighed, beckoning for the boy to come over to his team.

"Usu…"

He continued to train them for a while, letting them get used to the feel of a racket. Eventually he let the four play amongst themselves. They seemed to be able to enjoy the game better by playing against their peers anyway. Two of them were using Tezuka's rackets, while the other two used Ryoma's.

Returning to Ryoma's side, he had just plopped himself down on the bench when Ryoma handed him a towel.

"Must be hard for you." Ryoma stated, his golden gaze mildly sympathetic.

"Not at all. I'm glad to see more people eager to learn about tennis. For all we know, they might be the future opponents of Seigaku." Tezuka replied as he took the towel and wiped his glasses.

He rested for a while before getting to his feet, taking a spare racket out of his bag.

"Now then. It's getting late. Why don't we have one last game while we still have the time?" He stated when he noticed that one of the other courts was now empty.

"Usu." Ryoma was on his feet immediately, following Tezuka to the next court.

Again, they played a right-handed rally. The onlookers around the courts probably didn't know that the two were actually left-handed players, as they continued whispering words of amazement amongst themselves.

"I'm hitting to the right now." Ryoma smirked. He didn't need to tell Tezuka that, as the Kanto High captain had already reached the shot.

"That's not enough to defeat me." Tezuka stated calmly, hitting the shot back.

A cry halted their game abruptly. As one, both turned to the next court, where the kids were playing.

A newcomer had taken the racket out of one of the kids' hands, holding it out of reach.

"You shouldn't hold a racket if you can't even wield it. I'll show you what tennis is all about. I've been playing this for five years after all." He boasted, puffing his chest out proudly.

The kid who had his racket snatched away began crying. Before Tezuka could even move a step, Ryoma strode forwards and snatched the racket out of the guy's hands.

"Ne. I don't appreciate _my_ racket being held by filthy hands like yours." He stated, his golden glare directed at the guy.

The guy turned his attention back to Ryoma. "Ah! It's you…!" He pointed angrily at the Seigaku captain.

Ryoma turned to Tezuka. "Who's this?" he asked.

It was a good thing Tezuka's memory was better than Ryoma's. He recognized the guy immediately. "We met him in the tennis equipment shop this morning. The guy who has played tennis for five years."

Ryoma cocked his head to one side a while. Finally, he remembered.

"Ah. You're the guy with the ugly hair."

"Is that what you had said?!" he snarled, and Ryoma remembered that he had been using English at that time.

The elementary schoolchildren hid behind Tezuka. "Uncle…that mean onii-chan is really scary. What if he hurts nice onii-chan?"

"Don't worry. That ill-mannered boy won't be able to lay a hand on him. I'll see to it." Tezuka reassured them. After a while, he frowned. "By the way, don't call me uncle. I'm only a high school student."

"Oh. Okay then, old onii-chan."

"Who are you calling ill-mannered? Come play against me, unless you don't have the guts to." The 'mean onii-chan' had begun yelling.

Tezuka picked up his racket. "Very well. One set match. Is that okay?"

"Aa. No problem. Bring it on!" His extremely loud voice was causing more people to flock around the courts in the hopes of watching the match.

Tezuka's glasses flashed. "Yudan sezu ni ikkou."

"Actually, Kunimitsu. I think you can let your guard down, and I believe you can play with your eyes closed." Ryoma corrected him calmly.

Tezuka frowned at his boyfriend. "It's not good to underestimate your opponent."

"I'm not underestimating him. I'm stating my observations. I think even Horio has more years of tennis experience than this guy."

As Tezuka walked to the court, the four kids were now hiding behind Ryoma.

"Ne…will old onii-chan be alright?" they asked.

Ryoma smiled at that. "He cannot be defeated." He said confidently.

"Be prepared!" Tezuka fired a serve, and his opponent didn't even have time to react at all. Even after the ball had rolled away, the guy was still rooted to the spot.

Tezuka won with service aces. In fact, the self proclaimed 5 years tennis player could not even hit a decent return to the Kanto High captain.

At the sides, Ryoma was smirking slightly at the opponent, while the four kids were bouncing on the spot excitedly.

"Sugoi! Defeat him, old onii-chan!" They cheered Tezuka on, and the brunette didn't ruin their hopes.

"Game and match." Tezuka stated before walking off.

"Onii-chan! You defeated the bad guy!"

"Aa." Tezuka turned to his boyfriend, who looked slightly smug.

"I did mention that it would be an easy match, didn't I?" Ryoma tried to hide a smile.

"Why did you say so anyway?" Tezuka asked.

Ryoma nudged his head in the "mean, defeated onii-chan's" direction. "That guy looks like a high school student, just like us. If truly he has been playing _tennis_ for five years, there's no way he couldn't recognize either of us. That's why I believe he's bluffing."

"Oh? Onii-chan tachi are famous?" One of the kids asked.

"In a way speaking." Ryoma smirked at the gaze of admirations both he and Tezuka were receiving.

Tezuka took a glance at his watch. "Let's head back to the center. It's getting late."

"Usu."

Tezuka noted the sad faces staring at the both of them. He knelt slightly and patted all their heads.

"Onii-chan will have to leave now. Who knows, we might meet again in the future." Tezuka told the elementary school students.

"Promise?" One of them asked tearfully.

Tezuka gave a slight nod. "Aa."

The four of them waved as both he and Ryoma left the place. On the way back, Ryoma stared up at Tezuka.

"Ne, Kunimitsu. Those chibis were cute after all."

Tezuka smiled slightly at that comment. So Ryoma did have a soft side after all. "Aa."

XXX

It was now time for him to take his leave. He had school the following day after all, so he couldn't stay even if he wanted to.

Ryoma's face was devoid of emotions, if it wasn't for his sad, golden eyes.

"I'll be going now." Tezuka told his boyfriend, shifting the strap of his bag on his shoulder, so that he had a firmer grip on it.

Ryoma didn't say anything to that, adjusting his cap slightly. After some time, the younger boy finally glanced up at him.

"Kunimitsu…thank you for coming over. I've had a wonderful time. The next round, it'll be my turn to look for you." He said rather bashfully.

"I'll be waiting then…" Tezuka held Ryoma's hand briefly before turning away, heading for the departure gate.

"Wait!" Ryoma called out to stop him.

The younger captain approached him, holding Tezuka's medal in his hand.

"I believe I'm supposed to return this to you." Ryoma smiled, holding it out to the older captain.

Tezuka glanced down at it momentarily before he reached out. He didn't take the medal though. Instead, he took Ryoma's hand in both of his own, closing Ryoma's fingers over the medal.

"You keep it. We'll make a trade only after you've returned to Tokyo." He stated.

A smile spread upon Ryoma's face. "Usu." The younger boy gave him a quick hug. "Have a safe journey home."

"Aa." With that, Tezuka boarded his plane. He stared out the window, looking towards the direction of the terminal. Ryoma was probably still watching his plane.

As the plane took off, Tezuka leaned back against his seat. He definitely did not regret the decision of coming here at all. It was worth it to see Ryoma again.

He smiled slightly as he thought of how Ryoma had brightened up during his stay. He now looked forward to the day Ryoma returned to Tokyo.

XXX

Well, Tezuka looked forward to the day of Ryoma's return…provided he survived today.

"So, Tezuka. How was Kyuushu?" Atobe asked smugly.

Tezuka threw a silent glare in his best friend's direction, though Oishi held his hands up in an 'I-didn't-tell-them' manner.

"Have you forgotten that some of my men are still with Echizen? They gave me the report yesterday." Atobe explained calmly.

Immediately Kikumaru and Asakawa began snickering. "Tezuka is so devoted to ochibi that he actually went all the way there by himself. How nice."

"So Tezuka can actually be sweet even though he looks like a wooden block." Asakawa added.

Tezuka was highly tempted to just slump on the table and bury his head under his hands, but as that would be rather unbecoming of him, he opted for his expressionless mask.

That didn't stop the teasing though. Fuji made it worse by leaning over and stating softly.

"Saa…Atobe mentioned that there was only one bed in the room. Who took the bed, or did the both of you share it?" He asked evilly.

That caused Tezuka to accidentally tear one of the pages in his textbook. He looked up, glasses flashing furiously.

"Everyone! 20 laps, now!"

To be continued…

A/N: Finished this chappie! Finally! Just four more chapters to go for both fics and I'm done.

Or at least four more chapters for Echizen, Our Buchou. I've decided to extend Life After Seigaku with a few extra chapters (short sequels) before moving on to my actual sequel.

I hope these two chapters weren't overly fluff-filled. I shall not be responsible for anyone who falls off to the floor twitching after reading my fics. (Sneaks away, whistling innocently)

**Please Read and Review. No Flames Please.**

**-Gwyn**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis. If I did, all the characters in Prince of Tennis would be playing their matches in bathing suits::nosebleeds::**

**Warning: Minor spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic.**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, Sanada X Yukimura. Mild Inui X Kaidou fanservice (hints, but not an actual pairing)**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 18 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: Please read Echizen, Our Buchou first before reading this chapter, as one of the events will come after that fic, and this fic would further explain that scene.

The next chapter, especially, would come completely after EOB, so pls read that first.

There will be mild Kawamura X Sakuno hints in this chapter. I did mention that I'm going to be pairing them up in the sequel, so I decided that they had to start somewhere. Please give me your feedback on this pairing.

Mini Drama

**Fuji: Good for you, Taka-san. You finally get some screen time.**

**Kawamura: Ah…anou…well…Gwynhafra did allow me to make an appearance now and then anyway, so I'm not complaining…**

**Fuji: (Passes racket to Kawamura)**

**Kawamura: Burning!!! Gwynhafra! How dare you leave me out for so many chapters?! **

**Gwynhafra: Meep! (Erases racket from fic and turns Kawamura back into a kitten)**

**Kawamura: Ah…minna…gomen about that. Remember to give feedbacks to Gwynhafra**

End of Mini Drama

**Loyal Supporter**, ehehe. Yeah. With them, any non lovey dovey scenes are actually lovey dovey. Goodness. I'm not making any sense even to myself.

**HEIDI**, Saa…I do believe Kunimitsu won't be romantic in the way that we're all used to, or expecting, but I do believe he has his old-fashioned way of showing his love to someone. Hehe. I don't mind these two fics being translated to Spanish, as some might prefer it that way, and if they're both printed out for your pals to read (or if you or your pals want to keep a hard copy) , I don't mind that either. However, if they're to be sold, as in using money or any other items as a transaction to get these fics, then yes, I do mind.

XXX

Ahem. I wish to mention something. If any of you wish to translate my fics, so that it would be easier reading for some people, I don't mind. But I draw the line at publishing (in other words, printing and selling). Prince of Tennis does not belong to me. These fics do though, and as they are made using Konomi-sensei's idea, I choose not to gain any form of monetary returns for this. Reviews would be sufficient as returns for my fics. I'm even more against the idea of someone profiting off my fics, especially, so please don't publish.

I really have no comment about chapter 345 of the manga. If any of you are intending to write an Atobe X Echizen fic, rest assured that you might find some inspiration in this chappie, or at least, that's how I see it.

**Thank you all for your reviews.**

To the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 20

It was just another ordinary day for all the Kanto High regulars. Just another day of practice. Atobe was being his usual arrogant self, giving orders to all the club members present, regulars and non-regulars alike, and Atobe's cheering squad was just as loud as always.

Right at that moment, Tezuka returned from the staff room, having just given his report on the club to Ayaka-sensei, and that was when something began to feel different from usual.

For the captain, who was as stoic and unsmiling as usual, was giving off a certain aura that was causing flowers to bloom, birds to sing, and the sun to shine brightly wherever he passed. Figuratively speaking, of course.

"Tezuka's in a good mood, isn't he?" Kikumaru asked Oishi. All of them couldn't quite put a finger on it, but they all had a feeling that Tezuka was in a jolly good mood today. It wasn't shown on his face, and he wasn't walking with a skip in his step, but they just knew.

For one, he didn't start off practice by assigning anyone (especially Atobe) laps yet, and he wasn't commenting about the cheering squad either.

"What has made him this happy?" Asakawa couldn't help wondering aloud.

Fuji chuckled. "I can only think of one, and it's not a 'what'"

Atobe smirked at the captain. "Ne, Tezuka. Your boyfriend's back in Tokyo?"

Tezuka didn't say anything. He didn't need to. The aura of happiness around him had just gotten stronger, giving them the answer they needed.

"Ochibi's back? That would explain Tezuka's good mood." Kikumaru stated.

Just because Tezuka was feeling happy, it didn't mean that he would be going easy on them though. He gave the orders for everyone to assemble, and once they were done, the captain swept his stern gaze over each and every one of them before turning to his vice-captain.

Atobe took that as his cue to speak up. The dark-grey haired boy cleared his throat, lifted his head up high and began his speech.

"My loyal K-High subjects. As we all know, the Nationals are just slightly over two months away. Ore-sama will permit no weaklings in this club, so you're all to toughen up or I'll kick you off the team…"

"Atobe…" Tezuka's tone held a warning note to it. Atobe threw Tezuka a disgruntled glance and cleared his throat again, rephrasing his speech. This old-fashioned captain really killed the fun out of everything.

"What ore-sama meant to say is, we'll be improvising the training schedule, and everyone is to follow it, whether you're a regular or not. Ore-sama will permit no objections. Alright then, regulars will remain in the first court, while non-regulars are permitted to use the others. You're dismissed to your courts."

Once everyone had left, Tezuka addressed his regulars. "Everyone. We'll do 10 minutes of warming up before practicing some strokes. Understood?"

"Hai!" All of them gave their response.

XXX

"Zannen munen, mata raishuu!" Kikumaru used his net play, scoring against Asakawa.

"Whoa! I could have sworn that this shot wasn't so fast the last time." The speedy player said with a light laugh.

Kikumaru gave a V sign to him. "I should call this my newly improved Kikumaru Beam. You have no idea how often I've been practicing with Oishi. Ne?" He directed the last word to his doubles partner.

Oishi smiled, tapping his racket against his partner's. "Aa. We're still exploring the unlimited possibilities in doubles. Speaking of which, how are your formations coming up?"

Fuji chuckled. "Saa…we really don't have that many formations as the both of you do. Ours are mainly counter attacks and defensive. We're learning fast though."

"Currently we're working on the Inductive Formation, you know, that anti-Australian Formation that Shishido and Ootori had used last year. I'm impressed that the both of them had managed to pull it off. You have no idea how difficult it is to coordinate your movement with your doubles partner's." Kikumaru said with a slight pout.

Oishi stared at his racket. "Who knows? If we're able to master this, we may also be able to master that other skill…"

He didn't elaborate further. Fuji and Kikumaru knew that he was referring to the strongest skill in doubles-Synchro. If they were able to master this one, they'd be an undefeatable doubles team.

Of course, Asakawa had no idea what they were talking about. "What other skill?" He asked.

"Synchro. Both doubles partners will enter this state when they're in a pinch, and this skill requires a high amount of trust between both parties. They will play at a subconscious level, their moves coordinated with their partner's, almost as if they can read each other's thoughts, each other's moves. It is said to be the highest level a doubles team can reach. Oishi and Kikumaru used this when they played against Hyotei's silver pair last year." Fuji explained.

Asakawa threw them both a look of admiration. Kikumaru gave a sheepish grin. "I really don't remember much about that. It felt like I was floating on the clouds, playing doubles with Oishi. It was a very happy feeling." He recalled.

"So is this like Tezuka-buchou's Hyakuren?" Asakawa inquired.

Fuji smiled at that. "You could say so. The three doors of the State of Self Actualization are the highest points for a Singles player, while Synchro is the highest point for Doubles."

Kikumaru tapped a finger against his chin. "Tezuka and Ochibi both opened doors to the state of self-actualization, with Tezuka having opened two, and Ochibi having opened the strongest one. I wonder if they'd be able to achieve Synchro if they played doubles."

"The chances of that happening are 0.02 percent…" A voice spoke near Kikumaru's ear, causing the acrobatic player to give a yelp of surprise before hiding behind Oishi.

Oishi folded his arms. "You really shouldn't do that, Inui. It's not good for the heart." The motherhen scolded lightly.

Inui adjusted his glasses. "Yo." He raised a hand in greeting.

"What are you doing here anyway, Inui?" Fuji asked.

The question had caused Inui's glasses to glint evilly. "Collecting good data, of course."

"In other words, you're here scouting, aren't you?" An arrogant voice asked.

Atobe walked over to them in regal strides, his jacket draped over his shoulders like a cape. Once he reached them, he ran a hand through his hair.

"Rikkai Dai has taken our club to be a threat, so you've come over to spy on us, haven't you? Be awed by ore-sama's wonderful club."

"Actually, he would go to all the rival schools before each game." Fuji corrected. The others nodded in agreement, having known of Inui's habits since they had once been his teammates.

"It is always a good idea to keep tabs on your opponent. It is not good to let your guard down after all." Inui added the last sentence while putting on a mock serious face.

Several metres away, Tezuka had given a sneeze.

"I hope you've recorded about my beautiful skills. Let me see that." In one swift move, Atobe had managed to nick the notebook out of Inui's hands.

The data master looked horrorstruck. "Don't read that! It's private and confidential!" He tried to retrieve his notebook, though Fuji had found it highly amusing to see Inui's notebook get stolen, and kept blocking his path on purpose.

Atobe scanned the book eagerly. Who knows, if he could find out Tezuka and Echizen's weakness, he'd be able to beat them this round. Unfortunately, all the descriptions of their skills seemed to be in Inui Code, and he couldn't make any sense out of Inui's sketches either.

"Aha! I'm sure you're not able to figure out what I've written. Only I would be able to understand that." Inui sounded rather smug.

Atobe shrugged. Well, at least their profiles were understandable. 'Tezuka Kunimitsu, senior high first year, Bloodtype O, left hander. Birthday…'

As he read that, a slightly evil laugh escaped his lips, causing his regulars to stare. "So ore-sama have beaten Tezuka after all. Ore-sama, the great Atobe Keigo was born 3 days before that guy. He will always be second to ore-sama. Be awed, you peasants."

"Poor Atobe. He has lost to Tezuka so many times, he's gone mad." Asakawa whispered.

Kikumaru nodded. "To think he's now competing with Tezuka over their birthdays."

Atobe closed the book. "Ore-sama will be borrowing this for a few days. Thank you for your contribution, my good subject."

Inui reached out for the green notebook. "My precious data…without my notebook, I can't collect information. I can't use data tennis. I can't create any more Inui Juice…"

Atobe held it out of his reach. (Poor Inui was still being blocked by Fuji, so he couldn't get the book) "If that's the case. I, the king will be confiscating this book to save all my subjects from those nasty juices."

Kikumaru gave a cheer at that, while Oishi was patting Inui's back. "Don't worry. He'll return it to you in a few days. You don't have to be so upset."

Inui looked like a malfunctioned computer, as he was facing the other way, muttering 'my data…my data…' over and over again like a chant.

Oishi gave a weak smile. "In the meantime…er…you can use one of your spare notebooks to collect data for the Nationals, so no harm done."

"Speaking of which, we didn't meet up with you guys in the Kantou Games." Fuji remembered.

Inui adjusted his glasses and turned around again. "We had to pull out of the competitions, as nearly all the regulars had food poisoning, and one of the regulars was sent to the hospital for a severe injury."

Translation in Inui's mind: 'We had to pull out of the competitions as all of us drank Inui Juice, and Sanada sent me to the hospital for knocking his precious Yukimura out.'

"I see. So you guys had won the consolation matches and are allowed to compete in the Nationals anyway." Fuji nodded in understanding.

Atobe was giving off an evil laugh now and then as he browsed through Tezuka's details. "Who would have known that our captain had been eyeing his cute little successor for that long?"

That got Fuji, Asakawa and Kikumaru staring at the notes as well. "Whoa! He keeps Ochibi's picture in his locker? How did Inui know about that anyway?"

"Hmm…if he liked Echizen ever since that boy was 12, does that make him a pedophile?"

……

Several feet away, Tezuka sneezed in rapid succession. Yamato lowered his racket, a concerned look on his face.

"Maybe we should take a break. I don't think you're looking very well." The third year suggested.

"Aa." Tezuka held back another sneeze. Goodness. The weather must be really chilly today.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Konbanwa! Kawamura Sushi Delivery!"

There was the sound of footsteps approaching, and moments later, the door to the tennis equipment shop slid open to reveal a smiling middle-aged man.

"Ah. Kawamura-kun. Right on time. So sorry to trouble you with this delivery." The guy took the sushi from the younger man.

Kawamura rubbed the back of his head, looking bashful. "It wasn't too much trouble, Sora-san. We're only a couple of blocks away after all."

"You're too modest. Why don't you come on in?" The other man invited.

Kawamura shook his head. "No thank you. Oyaji wouldn't be happy if I've left the shop for too long."

"Don't worry. Just come in for a cup of tea. It wouldn't take long. My wife made a huge batch of biscuits, and I'm having trouble finishing all of them by myself. Come on in."

Kawamura looked uncertain. "Well…if you say so. Sorry to intrude then." He entered the shop.

As he walked around, a sense of nostalgia hit him at seeing all the shoes and rackets on display. He would be lying if he said he didn't miss tennis. However, he had the experience of going for the Nationals, and he didn't have any more regrets over this.

He noticed a rather familiar looking girl standing at one of the racks. She turned around, and he recognized her when he saw her face.

"Oh? Aren't you Ryusaki-sensei's granddaughter?"

The girl gave a bow. "Hai. Ryusaki Sakuno desu. Nice to meet you, Kawamura-senpai."

So he had guessed right. For a while, he wondered what the girl was doing here, but eventually remembered that this shop's owner was a relative of Ryusaki's.

"Ah. Nice to meet you." He returned the greeting bashfully. The girl was as shy as he was, and both ended up standing there, fidgeting awkwardly on the spot.

Kawamura hadn't really spoken to her before. From what he recalled, wasn't this girl the one who had a crush on Ryoma? If that was the case, the poor thing really didn't stand a chance at all.

He spotted the racket she was holding in her hands. "You're from the girls' tennis club?" he enquired.

She nodded. "Hai. I'm one of the regulars, though I'm quite a novice compared to the others."

Kawamura understood that feeling. He too had once thought of himself as inferior to his teammates, though his friends had encouraged him and supported him, which was what led to his determination to win his last game, the one against Ishida Gin.

"Don't worry, Ryusaki-chan. Keep practicing, and you'll improve." He encouraged her.

Sakuno gave a bow. "Arigatou, Kawamura-senpai. Eto…is it alright if you check the grip of this racket? My captain asked me to get one with a strong grip, but I'm not sure if this is good enough."

"Ah…sure." Kawamura took the racket.

The next moment, the future sushi shop owner had undergone a Dr Jekyl-Mr Hyde transformation. "Burning!!! This grip is perfect! Yosh! Go out there and fight! Make sure you girls win the Nationals this round!" He yelled as he swished the racket around violently.

The racket slipped from his hand before falling to the floor with a clatter. Kawamura once more turned back into his meek self. He looked down and realized that he had scared the living daylights out of Sakuno.

"Ah…gomen, Ryusaki-chan. I didn't mean to frighten you like that."

Sakuno had managed to recover after a while. "N-no…it's my fault. I'm sorry for giving you the racket."

"No. It's my fault for taking the racket. I'm really sorry."

The both of them ended up apologizing to each other for a good five minutes before Sora emerged from inside the shop with a tray of biscuits and two cups of tea. They still apologized even as they ate; causing Ryusaki's relative to raise an eyebrow. The middle aged man didn't say anything about it though.

"I'll make it up to you. Why don't you come over to my dad's shop? It'll be my treat as an apology."

"Eh? You don't have to, Kawamura-senpai. It was my fault after all."

Thus began round two of apologizing…

XXX

"Oyaji, I'm back."

"Takashi. You're late. Eh? Who's the girl behind you?"

Sakuno gave a polite bow. "I'm Ryusaki Sakuno. Yoroshiku Onegai shimasu."

(A/N: It means 'nice to meet you')

"Oh. Yoroshiku. I hope my son hasn't been giving you trouble. Takashi. Why didn't you tell me you were dating?"

Sakuno blushed at that. Kawamura shook his head. "Oyaji. You've mistaken. She's not my girlfriend. She's a kouhai I met in Sora-san's shop today, so I've decided to invite her for dinner."

(A/N: Kouhai-junior)

"Ah. My mistake. What do you think you're doing, letting her stand over there like that? Sit down, sit down." Kawamura senior played the good host.

Sakuno obeyed, sitting on one of the stools. Kawamura helped his father prepare sushi, and he made a batch for Sakuno, as promised.

"How is it?" He asked after she ate one.

"It's really good." She praised, looking rather awed.

Kawamura gave a bashful laugh as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm glad. I've been studying under oyaji, as I really hope to be a good chef when I take over the shop."

"You already are a good chef, Kawamura-senpai." Sakuno admitted honestly.

She watched as Kawamura made some more sushi for the customers. Somehow, that started a conversation between them as they discussed about the method of sushi making.

"If you add a dash of mayonnaise to that one, it'll give it extra flavour." Sakuno told him.

Kawamura obeyed and tried the sushi. "You're right, Ryusaki-chan. It tastes better."

Sakuno blushed. "It's a hobby of mine to prepare sushi for dinner. I would always be browsing through obaa-chan's cookbook. Unfortunately obaa-chan can't…urm…doesn't like to cook, so I'm usually the one preparing the bentos."

"I see. So that's why you're so knowledgeable about this."

"Takashi. Take this out to the customer." Kawamura senior called out. Unfortunately, his son was too engrossed in a discussion about types of sauces to hear him.

"You can add a bit of vinegar to this sauce to make it stronger." It was Kawamura's turn to tell about his methods.

"I've never tried that one." Sakuno admitted.

"Takashi." His father called out again.

"This wasabi sushi is really spicy…" Sakuno commented, wiping at her eyes.

"Ah, gomen. Here's some tea. Fuji had asked me to come up with a new type of sushi. As I heard, Tezuka's Wasabi Sushi punishment was getting ineffective." Kawamura looked like he wanted to kick himself for leaving that sushi lying around. Poor Sakuno had accidentally taken it.

"Takashi! Ah, forget it. I'll do it myself." Kawamura senior walked off to serve his customers sushi.

Kawamura didn't seem to notice that his father had called him at all. They were back to their sushi discussion, and when Sakuno looked up, she gave a gasp.

"It's this late already? Obaa-chan will be worried. Thank you for your hospitality, Kawamura-san, Kawamura-senpai." After giving a bow, Sakuno headed for the door.

"Not at all, Ryusaki-chan. Takashi. At least walk her to the train station. You can't let a girl walk all by herself when it's dark." Kawamura senior ordered his son.

"Hai. Come on, Ryusaki-chan. I'll walk you back. It's my fault that you've stayed for such a long time."

"Don't worry about me. My house is nearby this place. Besides, it's my fault for not noticing the time."

Thus began round three of apologizing…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Exams are finally over! Let's go for some video games!" Kikumaru cheered.

Tezuka twitched at that. "No thank you." He said curtly. Just the word alone made him shudder.

It was a wonderfully sunny Sunday, and currently, Tezuka, Atobe, Fuji and the Golden Pair were headed off for lunch after a round of tennis. Inui was with them, as he was the one who had asked them out on this after-exams trip.

"Where should we go for after lunch…I know! Let's go for a movie." The acrobatic player suggested excitedly.

Fuji chuckled. His best friend must have been really happy now that the exams were over. "I have no objections to that. A movie sounds nice."

As Atobe walked, he checked himself out in the mirror, fluffing his hair with one hand.

"Atobe. Look ahead when you're walking. I don't want to lose a member of my team just because he walked right into a pole." Tezuka said quietly.

Atobe snapped his mirror shut. "Don't worry. Poles would hop aside to make way for my majestic presence. I'm in a good mood currently, so I went easy on you just now. The next time, I'll be the winner."

Tezuka sighed. How many times had he beaten Atobe at tennis already? And how many times did this phrase pop out? He threw a silent glance at Inui. Somehow, he had a feeling Inui had called them all out today not just for a round of tennis. The data master was probably collecting all those data he had missed, now that he had finally gotten his notebook back from Atobe.

Inui flipped through his notebook. "According to my data, we should be heading in this direction around now."

"Eh? But that direction is…"

All six teenagers found themselves standing before the bowling centre.

"Uso…Don't tell me we're going bowling again…" Already, bad memories were flooding back to all of them. (Except Tezuka, who wasn't around, and Atobe, who wasn't with them either when they had a bowling competition)

Inui's glasses glinted. "Is something wrong with that?" He led the way in.

Atobe frowned slightly. "Tezuka. Do you hear something?" he asked.

Tezuka listened for a while. "Aa. A song."

Atobe shook his head. "Which lunatic would be singing in a bowling centre?"

No sooner had they walked in when Kikumaru spotted a few familiar faces.

"Hoi hoi, I see the Seigaku Regulars nya. There's ochibi! Ochi-"

The next moment, Oishi had clapped a hand over Kikumaru's mouth, effectively stopping the acrobatic player from calling out to Echizen.

For said Seigaku captain was the one _singing_.

Ryoma looked to be completely oblivious to their presence, as his attention was focused on a piece of paper, most probably the lyrics of the song.

Tezuka and the others stood rooted to the spot. The Kanto High captain's gaze was fixed on his boyfriend, as he was completely entranced by Ryoma's singing. The words flowed perfectly, and Ryoma's voice was surprisingly gentle, making each tune soothing to the ears.

"While I did know that they were having a bowling match today, this has really exceeded my data…" Inui was saying next to him while scribbling madly in his book.

All too soon, the song ended. The K-High regulars were still standing there though. The spell was broken when Kikumaru lunged forward and grabbed Echizen in his usual bear hug.

"Ochibi! You could actually sing! Who would have known nya!" The genki acrobatic player chirped.

"You're choking me, Kikumaru-senpai." Ryoma really did sound like he could barely breathe.

The Seigaku captain turned around, and instantly both his and Tezuka's gazes met. Almost immediately, Ryoma turned an interesting shade of crimson.

"Saa…Echizen. Your face is pretty red. You're not having a fever now, are you?" Fuji asked evilly.

Ryoma avoided Tezuka's gaze, looking highly embarrassed and helpless. The Seigaku captain involuntarily reached up, but as he was not wearing his cap, he couldn't hide his face with it. Without a choice, he let his hand fall to his side again.

Momoshiro dismissed the Seigaku regulars, and to Tezuka's surprise, the Seigaku vice-captain had then shoved Ryoma over to him. Tezuka caught Ryoma the minute the younger boy fell against him. His boyfriend seemed to be frozen on the spot, as he did not move his face from where it was hidden. (Tezuka's chest). The K-High captain suspected that Ryoma might be hiding a blush.

"Yosh! Ochibi can join us for lunch then. We're even going to watch a movie later." Kikumaru said happily.

Inui turned to Momoshiro. "However, I do wonder how you've managed to get Echizen here to sing. Considering his character, that would be a 5 percent chance only."

Ryoma mumbled something at that moment, which was quite muffled as he was still hiding his face against the K-High captain's chest. Though everyone could hear the words "Inui Juice", and all of them nodded in understanding.

Inui frowned. "That's strange. I most certainly don't recall giving you any of my inventions."

A grin spread on Momoshiro's face at that. He whipped out a flask of orange-coloured liquid.

"Echizen had just freaked out when I offered him a glass of orange juice." He stated innocently.

At that, Ryoma finally looked around. "Nani? That wasn't Inui's Wheatgrass Juice?"

The grin on Momoshiro's face told volumes. Ryoma had been tricked into singing. "Yarou!" It was a good thing Tezuka was holding him back, or Seigaku might lose a vice-captain.

"So Ryoma is that afraid of my inventions. Ii data…" Inui had started writing again.

Atobe lifted his head. "Hmph. Not bad, Echizen. However, ore-sama is still the better singer." With that, he started belting out 'Wonderful Days'.

"Nobody is asking for _you_ to sing." Tezuka frowned. Just his Ryoma's singing was sufficient.

Kikumaru was growing impatient. "Mou! Let's make a move now. We'll have lunch and we'll go for a movie. Come on, let's move." He was already pushing Oishi out of the door.

"You're right. Let's go. By the way, would you like to join us, Kaidou?" Inui called his protégé before the viper had a chance to leave.

Kaidou gave a soft hiss before turning to the data master. "Where would you all be going to?"

"We'll be watching a movie later. _**We**_ have decided that we'd all watch a _horror_ movie. You will be joining us, I'm sure. We're going to buy the tickets when we're there." Inui's glasses glinted.

"We have?" Kikumaru asked, though Inui silenced him with a stare.

Kaidou paled. Already, his mind was filled with the images of ghosts. "N-n-n-n-no th-thank you…" He stuttered.

Momoshiro burst out laughing at that moment. "He won't join you. Baka Mamushi is too afraid of ghost movies. He'd scream like a baby if he ever went to watch one…"

The next moment, Inui had rounded up on him instead. "Then you'll be joining us too, I'm sure."

Momoshiro held up his hands. "I…have a date with Ann-chan later. See you."

The next moment, Inui held up a steaming pitcher of pink liquid. "If you're not joining us, then at least have a drink of this Inui's Special Deluxe Wheatgrass Juice. I assure you that this is the real thing."

Momoshiro gulped. "Fine. I'll go for the movie…"

XXX

They had, fortunately, managed to get tickets for the movie, and as Inui had mentioned, it was a horror movie, titled "Two Missed Calls"

Seating arrangements were as followed: In row 4- Atobe, Tezuka, Echizen. In the row above theirs, row 5-Inui, Kaidou, Momoshiro, Oishi, Kikumaru, Fuji.

Throughout the movie, Momoshiro, Oishi and Kikumaru were huddled together, peeking at the screen through their fingers. Every time the screen characters gave a scream of terror, these three followed suit as well.

In row 4, Atobe sat there, commenting about the movie's quality and special effects. He was ruining the show for Tezuka and Ryoma as he commented about how terrible the effects were, and how his men would have done a better job.

Tezuka sat as still as a statue throughout the whole movie, his expression unchanging even at the scariest parts. Ryoma was yawning from time to time. This movie wasn't scary to him at all. As he placed his left hand on the armrest, his fingers had brushed lightly against Tezuka's hand. Before Ryoma could shift his hand away, Tezuka had taken it and held it gently. Ryoma threw his boyfriend a small smile before returning his gaze to the movie.

While the two boyfriends were enjoying the movie after that (they were enjoying each other's presence than the actual movie itself though), the same couldn't be said to those in the row behind them.

"Oishi-senpai…that's disgusting…" Momoshiro cringed and leaned closer against Oishi as the ghost ripped off a victim's head.

"Oishi!" Kikumaru too was huddled against his doubles partner.

Oishi had no idea why both of them had chosen him to be their support. He was as freaked out about the movie as they were. Still, the motherhen tried his best to calm them down. "Don't worry. It's only a movie." He said soothingly, patting both their arms.

The screen characters screamed again, and once more, they followed. A low chuckle followed soon after, causing Kikumaru to nearly fly out of his seat in fright.

All three of them turned to the right. Apparently the chuckle came from Fuji, who was giving a soft, evil laugh every time the ghost appeared to take a victim. Kikumaru tried his best to inch away from him, which wasn't much as there was only so much room a single seat could offer, and Fuji was sitting right next to him.

Momoshiro turned to his left, and had given a half-scream, half-yelp.

"What? The ghost hasn't made an appearance yet." Oishi gasped, holding on to his heart as he was nearly shocked out of his skin when Momoshiro had yelled.

"L-l-look at mamushi…" Momoshiro managed to gasp out.

At that moment, Kaidou's head was resting against Inui's shoulder, with a look of utter peace on his face. The data master, on the other hand had his attention focused on the movie, seemingly oblivious to what Kaidou was doing. Either that or he looked like he didn't mind Kaidou leaning against him.

"Uso! Inui and Kaidou?" Kikumaru gasped.

Inui seemed to have sensed that someone was staring at him, for the next moment, he had turned his head sharply and pinned all three of them with a stare. The light from the screen was reflected on his glasses, making him look ten times creepier than his usual self. He could actually be a guest star in the movie if he had wanted to.

The data master frowned at their expressions then followed where they were staring at before stopping his gaze at Kaidou. After a while, Inui looked up again.

"Kaidou had passed out ten minutes into the movie. I've calculated that it'll take him another one hour before he wakes up, so I'm leaving him be. Why? What were the three of you thinking anyway?" Inui asked.

"Not thinking of anything, Inui." Oishi laughed. The homophobic Momoshiro relaxed considerably at Inui's explanation.

And so, the movie goes on.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ahahahahaha! You should have seen yourself, mamushi. I can't believe you fainted." Momoshiro pointed at his rival as he taunted.

Kaidou gave a hiss, blushing. "You were the one screaming in horror just now, so you're not one to talk."

"At least _I_ did not faint." Momoshiro retorted.

"Minna. I believe that's all for today. Practice would be at 8 tomorrow. Don't be late." Tezuka gave the order.

"Hai." They responded. With that, all of them parted ways. Tezuka of course, walked home with Echizen.

Ryoma spotted the rackets Tezuka was carrying. "You went for a round of tennis just now?" he asked.

"Aa. Inui invited us all out for a game of tennis this morning. I suppose he'd be happy with the amount of good data he collected. Honestly speaking, they surprised me as well with their progress." Tezuka narrated.

"Hmm? How so?" Ryoma asked, glancing up at him.

"They've really gotten much stronger. Currently Oishi and Kikumaru are working on how to be able to consciously enter as well as control the state of Sychro. They've already perfected their formation so well that I'm finding it difficult to play against them. They're not able to enter that state yet, but it's only a matter of time before they do. Another one who has really improved is Fuji. He's now trying to improvise his Gate, which was destroyed by Kuranosuke the last time. I think he's still holding a grudge against that guy for defeating him."

Ryoma smiled at that. "They're still mada mada dane."

"Also, there's Atobe. In a rally, I was able to beat him. However, it was extremely difficult for me to return his Tannhauser Serve now. If I hadn't played seriously, I might have lost this round. Even you might not be able to win him in a rally now, but with your Pinnacle of Perfection, who knows." It took Tezuka a few more steps before he realized that Ryoma had stopped walking.

"What is it?" He asked, halting as well.

Usually, it was Tezuka who was the one with the unreadable face, but this round, he couldn't see what Ryoma was thinking, as the boy had put on an impassive face.

Ryoma eventually started walking to him. The younger boy shifted his feet slightly, looking awkward.

"Kunimitsu. I will need to ask from you a favour."

"Go ahead." As if Tezuka would refuse him.

Ryoma looked up, his golden eyes fixed on Tezuka's brown ones in such an intent gaze, Tezuka was starting to wonder just what kind of a favour was Ryoma going to ask for.

"Play against me in a match now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Oishi Syuichirou might not be the most observant of all people, especially off courts, but one thing about being a motherhen was that he tended to be more empathic to other people's thoughts and feelings.

Currently, his instincts told him that his best friend was troubled.

There was nothing unusual about Tezuka. He was still the same stoic captain barking out orders to all the members, and Atobe was made to run laps that day, so he was most definitely his usual self.

Still, Oishi couldn't get rid off the feeling that there was just something wrong.

He approached his best friend as practice was going on. Kikumaru and Fuji were playing against Kira and Asakawa. Yamato was training the first years, while Atobe was standing just a few feet away from Tezuka. The vice-captain exchanged looks with the motherhen briefly, and Oishi could guess that even Atobe could sense that something was on Tezuka's mind. He wouldn't be too surprised by that though. Atobe did have his Insight after all.

"Tezuka." Oishi called him. The captain looked up when he was addressed.

"What is it, Oishi?" Tezuka asked, as serious as always.

"Are you…I mean…is anything troubling you?" Oishi asked.

Tezuka's frown turned down even more. "I'm fine. Don't worry." Tezuka really was asking for the impossible. Worrying was part of Oishi's nature after all.

Oishi hadn't expected Tezuka to give an honest reply anyway. He had known the brunette well enough to also know that Tezuka tended to keep his problems to himself. Still, Oishi was one to believe that it was best if troubles were discussed. At least one would be able to feel better after that. Not to mention Oishi himself would be able to worry less too.

"If there is anything on your mind, you can always talk to me about it." Oishi had been through this a few times, and each time, he would say the same thing to his teammates.

Tezuka did look tempted to speak, though he just shook his head and turned his gaze back to the practices going on.

Atobe seemed to have decided it was beneath him to eavesdrop, and had finally decided to join them in their (one-sided) conversation.

"Ne, Tezuka. Ore-sama can only think of one person who might be able to affect you like this. Ore-sama don't really care about what you're so troubled about, but since you're affecting Oishi as well, as vice-captain, ore-sama cannot let this slide. So you either speak up, or we can just settle this with the good Peasant's Game. You know you can't win against me."

Tezuka threw him a weak glare. He really had no idea how his regulars could sometimes read his mind when he was quite sure his mask was perfectly intact. The captain considered this for a while. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to tell them a little about it.

He kept his gaze on the matches going on. "It is about Ryoma. Yesterday, he asked me for a match."

::Flashback::

_Both Tezuka and Echizen headed towards the usual park they frequented, since that place was usually devoid of other park goers, and they could have their match in peace._

"_I don't see why you had to look that serious. If you had wanted a match, I would be glad to play against you anytime." Tezuka said as he unzipped the bag he was carrying, took out his spare racket and handed it to Ryoma, who hadn't brought anything that day. _

_The expression on Ryoma's face was similar to that of a child who had just received a present as he took the white racket, though he hurriedly wiped that expression off his face. The boy tested the grip for a while before looking satisfied, though he was still staring at the racket._

_Tezuka chuckled. "If you like the racket that much, you can keep it."_

_Ryoma blushed slightly at being caught staring at it. "Ah…no…it's just that, this is the first time I'm using your racket." He tried to sound casual about it._

_Tezuka smiled slightly before heading to the court. "Shall we begin?"_

"_Usu." Ryoma positioned himself at the baseline, preparing for Tezuka's serve. "Kunimitsu, whatever you do, please promise to play seriously against me. Don't you dare go easy on me."_

"_Aa." Tezuka was getting slightly unnerved by how serious Ryoma sounded. He went along with Ryoma's request though, and started to serve._

_As usual, it kicked off into a rally, with neither side giving in. Ryoma was around his level, which made it difficult for Tezuka to score. It was only because of practice and experience that he still had the upper hand._

_Ryoma scored as his shot hit one of the corners, bringing them once again to a deuce._

"_You're not going all out, Kunimitsu." Ryoma sounded slightly upset._

"_I am playing seriously, Ryoma." Tezuka defended himself._

_Ryoma shook his head. "I meant to play against your full strength. Use Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami."_

_Now something was really strange about Ryoma. They had rarely used their Pinnacles when they were on their tennis dates. They were supposed to be playing for the enjoyment of tennis, not to kill each other. Even if they did activate their Pinnacles, it would only be for a short while, just enough to compare their strengths, but not enough to do damage._

_Seeing Ryoma's stubborn gaze, Tezuka gave in. "I understand." Immediately he channeled all his strength to his left arm._

_Ryoma gave a weak smile at that. "Thank you, Kunimitsu."_

_The match instantly became one-sided. With Hyakuren, Tezuka didn't just double all the power of his shots. The abilty also allowed him to conserve stamina for long periods of time, minimizing the effects of fatigue as the game went on._

_He looked worried as Ryoma was having trouble keeping his defense. Ryoma was still able to play evenly against him, of course, but as the match went on, it was obvious that the younger boy was getting tired, and his speed and power had dropped._

_Just when Tezuka was about to draw the match back into a normal rally, Ryoma pinned him with a rather hard gaze. "Kunimitsu, keep your Hyakuren activated."_

_While he would usually be happy to comply, he didn't understand what Ryoma was holding back for. The boy seemed either reluctant or unwilling to use his Pinnacle of Perfection, and Tezuka was getting worried as the match drew on._

"_Ryoma, if you want me to play seriously, shouldn't you do the same too?" Tezuka finally asked. In his worried state, the tone of his voice might have been a little harsh, for Ryoma winced slightly._

_His voice was gentler as he spoke again. "Hyakuren might create a strain on your wrists to return it. Use your Ten'i Muhou no Kiwami. I don't want you to get injured."_

_Ryoma stared at him for a while, and Tezuka still couldn't read what his boyfriend was thinking. "In time." Ryoma replied, serving again._

_Exactly when Ryoma would use that skill was a mystery. Ryoma was stubbornly insisting on using normal returns for Tezuka's powered shots. If it wasn't because of his earlier promise to play against Ryoma, Tezuka would have walked out of the courts a long time ago._

_As Ryoma stumbled again, Tezuka finally put his foot down, ending the match. "Enough!" Tezuka strode over to Ryoma's side of the court._

_Needless to say, Ryoma didn't look too happy. "I can still carry on with the game. Why did you stop?" _

'_Who are you trying to kid?' Tezuka thought, feeling rather angry (at both Ryoma and himself) as his eyes spotted a few bruises on Ryoma's arms and legs. The boy even looked so exhausted that it must have been taking a lot of his willpower to even keep his eyes open. Tezuka couldn't help feeling that he was no different from Kirihara Akaya._

"_You're in no condition to continue on." Tezuka replied curtly. _

_Ryoma shook his head. "I'm fine. Carry on with the game." _

"_Why are you insisting that I use Hyakuren? Why wouldn't you use the Pinnacle of Perfection?" The older captain demanded. _

_Ryoma gave a bitter laugh. "Isn't it obvious, Kunimitsu?" The boy gave him such a defeated look that Tezuka instantly felt his anger slipping away._

"_I don't have the Pinnacle of Perfection. Not anymore."_

_Tezuka had suspected that that might have been the reason for Ryoma's disastrous performance just now, but for Ryoma to actually confirm his suspicions, he couldn't help being stunned by the news._

_The brunette couldn't help feeling slightly betrayed by Ryoma for keeping this from him. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

_Ryoma gave him a tired glare. "Would you have played seriously against me if I had told you?"_

"_And how would you benefit from that? Have you any idea how much injuries you will get by being on the receiving end of Hyakuren in a drawn out match? If I had known that you weren't fully recovered, I'd...Ryoma?" The younger boy seemed to have finally succumbed to fatigue as his legs gave out, and with lightning fast reflexes, Tezuka caught him._

_The boy's sleepy, half-closed eyes fought to focus on Tezuka's worried face. "I've made you upset again, haven't I, Kunimitsu?" He asked quietly. "I'm sorry." _

"_It doesn't matter. Rest now." Tezuka told him. The boy didn't need telling anyway as before long, he was already slumbering quietly. Tezuka set him down on the bench and allowed Ryoma to use his lap as a pillow. _

_With the silence, it gave him a lot of time to think. What was Ryoma trying to achieve by making him use the Pinnacle of Hard Work? Ryoma had deliberately kept this from him in order to make him play seriously, it was almost as if the Seigaku captain was desperate for something._

_The answer soon hit him, and he wanted to smack his head for not realizing sooner._

_Ryoma was trying to reactivate Ten'i Muhou no Kiwami, and by the looks of it, he had failed to do so. At that moment, Ryoma was probably more troubled than he was, and to think Tezuka had yelled at him._

"_If you had needed help to regain your skill, you should have just told me, Ryoma. You're too reckless." Tezuka chided softly, stroking the junior high captain's hair. _

::End of Flashback::

That was roughly how Tezuka explained the situation to them, minus the mushier moments, of course. He also left out the part where he had given a still sleeping Echizen a piggyback home. Needless to say, Nanjirou had come up with the most _obscene_ conclusions as to why his son was all knocked out like that, and Tezuka preferred to keep what the samurai had said to himself.

Oishi immediately looked concerned. "Echizen lost the Pinnacle of Perfection? When did that happen?"

Tezuka's face darkened at that. "I can only associate it with the same reason he had lost his sight the last time. In other words, _I_ am the one who had caused his suffering. If he hadn't protected me, all these would never have happened. I just wish he had told me about this."

Atobe had given a snort. "Ore-sama must admit that I'm impressed. That brat may not have ore-sama's wonderful Insight, but he appears to be able to think better than I had expected of him. This round, I agree with his decision to keep his losing the Pinnacle of Perfection a secret from you."

Tezuka gave him a dead stare. Already, there were traces of guilt written on the captain's face.

"We'll go pay Echizen a visit later to see how he's doing. In the meantime……stop that, Atobe!" Atobe had raised a hand angrily, and Oishi had only managed to grab it in time before the vice-captain did any real damage.

"Let me go. It's not like this is the first time ore-sama have to smack some sense into this baka captain." Atobe said.

The vice-captain pinned the captain with his trademark Ice Emperor Glare. "You can be awfully dense at times, Tezuka. Your boyfriend kept that from you not just because he had wanted you to play seriously against him. He kept it from you because he knew you'd be reduced to being guilt-ridden if you found out there was an injury he couldn't recover from."

Tezuka did look like he had only just realized that. Atobe lost the mood to slap him, and once Oishi had released his hold, the vice-captain just folded his arms.

"Honestly. You two boyfriends really know how to give people headaches." The diva stated, turning away.

"What's going on here?" It seemed that practice has ended, and Fuji might have sensed that something was amiss, for he walked over and threw everyone an inquiring look.

Kikumaru bounced up to Oishi. "Hoi hoi! Why the solemn look, Oishi? You'd get wrinkles nya." He poked his partner's face playfully. The acrobatic player had unknowingly lightened the mood with his oblivious nature.

"It's nothing, Eiji." Oishi forced a smile on his face. He could see that Fuji wasn't convinced.

Without needing any words, the three had come up to a silent agreement that whatever they had talked about would stay between the three of them only. Well, maybe Fuji could be included in this too when they tell him about it later, but aside from that, they will speak no more about this.

XXX

The rest of practice had been uneventful. Tezuka dismissed all the members once practice was done, though the regulars were made to stay back for a short announcement.

"What is it nya?" Kikumaru asked, putting his hands behind his head.

Atobe made a grand, dramatic sweep of his arms. "My wonderful subjects, ore-sama thank you all for being present here at the moment…"

"That's because you asked us to stay back." Asakawa pointed out.

Atobe shot him a stare. "Do not speak up when ore-sama, the great Atobe Keigo is speaking. As ore-sama was saying, thank you all for being such loyal subjects. At this moment, ore-sama wish to declare that all regulars will be going for a special training camp, which will be held at ore-sama's Hidden Hills Mansion, on October the first. It will be a one-week camp, and we will be having a coach to train us during that period. Tezuka and ore-sama have already obtained permission from the school for this, so you don't have to worry about it. Now you may all speak to ask any questions."

"Atobe…"

"You will raise your hand first, Asakawa." Atobe cut in.

The speedy redhead raised a hand, and when Atobe nodded in his direction, he spoke up. "Who's our coach?"

"The same one who has decided to be absent today." Atobe replied, and everyone gave a knowing "oh" at that.

Another hand popped up. "Where is this Hidden Hills? I've never heard of such a place."

"That is the name I made for my mansion, and the location is strictly confidential. You don't have any problems with that now, do you, Kikumaru?" Atobe was practically daring the acrobatic player to say something about the name of the mansion.

No one asked anymore questions after that. Atobe decided to continue on.

"There will be two teams joining us. I have generously allocated 5 spots for each team. The first would be Rikkai Dai, as this will be ore-sama's way to repay Inui for contributing his data."

Everyone exchanged looks at that. "Only five spots? Then Inui might not be able to participate in the camp?" Kikumaru asked.

"Well, that would depend on how Rikkai decides to choose who gets to go to the camp. The second team was decided by a game of darts, and my dart just happened to land on…"

He paused a while, throwing Tezuka a smirk before turning back to the regulars.

"Seishun Gakuen."

To be continued…

A/N: Again, please remember to read Echizen, Our Buchou first for the next chapter.

As mentioned in the other fic, Dream Believer is the last opening theme for Prince of Tennis anime. Wonderful Days is one of the ending themes (forgot which one) for the anime, and Atobe's voice actor is one of those singing the song.

So sorry that the update was a little late this round. I can't really catch up with the two week time limit, so I might be extending it to three weeks, unless I'm able to finish the next chappie in two weeks. Though please note that the chapters relating to the Nationals will take me quite a while, as those are difficult to write. Also, I might be waiting for more of the manga chapters first, so I'd be able to see what kind of a person Yukimura is, and what skills does he have.

Speaking of manga chapters, the current one (346) is about Tezuka VS Sanada, and by the looks of it, things are not really going well for poor Kunimitsu. Wonder why is Tezuka's match out so early. That might make the other matches boring. (except for Ryoma's match, of course)

While I did mention that chapter 345 has mild AtoRyo hints, this chappie seem to have mild MomoRyo instead. XD

For anyone who wishes to view this chapter online, copy and paste this into your browser and remove all the 'dots' and replace them with the actual '…'

http://www(dot)onemanga(dot)com/Prince(underscore)of(underscore)Tennis/346/

**Please Read and Review. No Flames Please.**

-Gwyn


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. If I did, I'd die from lack of blood. ::nosebleeds::**

**Warning: May contain spoilers for latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. Misleading hints in this chapter (May cause mind to fly into gutter. You have been warned. XD). A bit of OOCness in here.**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, Sanada X Yukimura. Mild Tango Pair fanservice.**

**(This fic continues right after chapter 19 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: This entire chapter will be dedicated to the camp trip. Initially, I wanted to jam the whole camp trip into one chapter, but after double-checking with my plot list, I realized that would be quite impossible, so I will be breaking down the camp into two chapters.

There will be more fluff in this chapter, while there will be more tennis in chapter 22 of this fic.

**Quill**, lol. ::cough:: Don't let Ryoma hear you say that. He might get jealous.

**LoyalSupporter**, have fun reading this chapter. This camp is going to be rather chaotic.

**HEIDI**, good luck with the translations. I wouldn't be able to understand it though, as I have never learnt Spanish. :p

**sharon**, Fuji would be paired with an OC in the sequel. A minor character who doesn't appear much, so you won't have to worry about her. As for Inui and Kaidou, do note that they will not be a pair (even though I do kinda like this pairing. ::cough::) I put in fanservice for the humour, but actually, the characters do not share any romantic feelings. (Kaidou is homophobic too). Oishi and Kikumaru are a special case. This pairing is free for interpretation, even in the sequel. You could see them as just normal pals, or you could see them as a couple. It's up to the readers to interpret.

To the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 21

Day One

The Kanto High regulars were standing at the entrance to the Hidden Hills Mansion, awaiting the arrival of the other two schools. All of them were dressed in their red-orange-white uniforms, which gave off an imposing aura to any foolish travelers who might have accidentally stumbled onto this place.

Atobe had already arranged for two buses to pick their visitors up. The Rikkai team was the first to arrive, and all of the Kanto High regulars looked eagerly to see who were the chosen five.

The first to exit the vehicle was Yukimura, followed on by Sanada. Not too long later, Rikkai Dai's captain Kirihara Akira followed, though strangely enough, his brother Akaya was here too.

It was quite a while before the fifth member came out. Everyone's eyebrows were raised as they heard the sound of something heavy being dragged. Inui exited the bus, though he turned around and, to all their horror, carried a huge container full of Inui juice with him. The poor data master was tottering on the spot as he tried desperately to keep his balance. How many gallons were in that thing…?

Some time later, the other bus pulled to a stop, signaling the arrival of the Seigaku members. The first to leave the vehicle was the Chessmaster Takahiro, who was followed closely by a happy-looking Itsuki. Momoshiro and Kaidou rolled out of the vehicle at the same time, both still engaged in a fist fight. It was a wonder how the both of them managed to squeeze out of the narrow exit in the first place.

"Enough, you two. You've been fighting all the way here and you're both still not satisfied yet?" An annoyed voice asked.

Ryoma was the last of the Seigaku regulars to walk down the steps, and he was also the only one to suffer an overenthusiastic greeting.

"Ochibi! You made it to camp!" Kikumaru threw his arms around the green-haired captain, squeezing him like a plushie.

"Can't…breathe…Kikumaru-senpai…" The poor boy choked out.

Oishi was the first to sense the murderous aura coming from Tezuka, and he hurried to drag his doubles partner away. "Eiji…it's best if you leave Echizen alone…"

"Hoi?" Kikumaru didn't get the hint. It didn't take him long before he did though, as Tezuka's glare had caused him to freeze on the spot.

The tennis players got into line, all assembling according to their schools. For Rikkai and Seigaku, their captains- Kirihara (Akira) and Echizen stood in the front, facing their schools respectively. Tezuka and Atobe stood before the Kanto High regulars.

Tezuka nodded to Atobe, who began to speak. "Ore-sama welcome all of you to this camp. Be awed by the sight of ore-sama's mansion…"

(Tezuka clears his throat)

"I mean, this will be a training camp for the Nationals. There will be a number of practices during your stay here, and I'm sure that by the end of it, you will all be thanking ore-sama for my generosity…"

(Tezuka clears his throat and gives a soft cough)

"Of course, to all of you peasants, this really will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you to stay in a mansion for such a long period of time. There's no way any of you would be able to afford a mansion after all. You may marvel at ore-sama's kindness…"

(Tezuka activates the Ultimate Death Glare) "Just get to the point, Atobe…"

Of course, when Tezuka got this irritated, there was no way in hell Atobe would disobey a direct order. As much as he hated to take instructions from a peasant, he valued his life more than he did his pride…or at least, for this case only.

Atobe spoke on. "We will be trained by a coach during this period, and while he may not look to be the most reliable of all coaches…"

"That's very true. He isn't reliable at all." Ryoma muttered.

"…do note that looks can be deceiving." Atobe finished the sentence.

The diva paused for a while, running a hand through his hair. "I think ore-sama will reveal one more thing to you peasants. This camp isn't held just for our training. It's also held in celebration of two birthdays. One, of course, would be ore-sama's, which falls on the 4th of October. The other, will be the club captain Tezuka Kunimitsu's, which falls on the 7th of October. These two birthdays will be celebrated simultaneously."

A buzz started because of that. The Kanto High captain looked mildly surprised by the news.

Atobe smirked. He had to thank Inui's notebook for this, or he wouldn't have known about Tezuka's birthday being so close to his.

"So for these 7 days, we will be kings throughout the entire camp, and all of our orders are to be obeyed without question. Is that clear?" Atobe declared.

"What?! You don't expect us to go with that, do you?" Sanada was the first to protest. Before he could explode further, however, someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Isn't it fine, Genichirou. It's their birthdays after all." The beautiful blue-haired former captain said gently.

Sanada was pacified immediately. He threw a disgusted stare in Atobe's direction, but didn't say anything about the rule anymore.

Tezuka glanced around. "We seem to be missing someone…" He stated.

Ryoma turned to him. "Which reminds me. The monk mentioned that he'd only be coming on the fourth day."

"What?" Tezuka frowned. Atobe, on the other hand smirked.

"That is an interesting twist to my plan, but don't worry, the camp and the birthday celebrations will go on as usual, with or without our coach."

Kirihara Akaya, who was standing behind both Sanada and Yukimura, tugged on the hem of Yukimura's jersey to get his attention.

"Ne, Yukimura-senpai. Does this mean we wouldn't be having a coach for three whole days?" He asked.

"It would seem so." The blue-haired boy replied.

Kirihara was quiet a while, then he asked again. "So there will be no adults supervising us, and we're free to do our own activities?"

"Well…" Yukimura knew better than to give the answer to the Devil Kirihara.

Not surprisingly, the others caught on to what Kirihara was implying.

"You're right nya! Anyone interested with video games? I brought some!" Kikumaru was the first to chirp

"Me! Me!" Momo responded immediately. Asakawa and Itsuki gave their assent too.

"I was hoping to see if there are any built in theatres. I'm sure Atobe-san would have one. Also, is there a swimming pool around here?" Kirihara Akaya wondered aloud.

Atobe smirked at that. "That's of course. By the way, that's Atobe-_sama _for you."

Needless to say, a bunch of teenage boys with no adult supervision, in just 10 minutes the situation had turned chaotic, with everyone discussing about their plans for the entire duration of the camp (or at least, the Nanjirou-free days). The ones who hadn't made a sound so far were the stoic ones like Tezuka, Kira and Sanada, the blank faced ones like Takahiro, the smiling Yamato, Yukimura and Fuji and the bratty Ryoma, who was observing his boyfriend's reaction closely.

Well, their event planning was cut short as they sensed a dark aura coming from one stoic captain, who had a vein throbbing on his head. "The next person to say another word will run 20 laps…"

Silence descended upon everyone immediately. Ryoma smirked and pulled his cap lower. Tezuka pinned everyone with his stern brown gaze before speaking up. "Remember that this is a training camp, and while the coach will not be present for now, you're all to maintain a certain amount of discipline. There will be a set of rules for the whole week we're here, and by no means is anyone exempted from the rules."

As Tezuka listed down all the rules, Kirihara pouted. "Man…that Tezuka-san really is too serious sometimes. Is he a general?"

"It's his nature to be strict, Akaya. He is right though. Without an adult present, we still have the responsibility to not go overboard." Yukimura stated.

"I hope the two captains will cooperate with me over this." Tezuka finished speaking about the regulations.

"Usu." Ryoma's reply was instantaneous. Kirihara Akira nodded.

Atobe frowned. "Ceh. Tezuka, you're such a killjoy. Well, it looks like that's settled then. We will have to deal with one more issue. Room arrangements."

XXX

"Alright. Has everyone taken a number yet?" Kirihara Akira asked.

Everyone nodded. The older Kirihara smiled. "Good. Remember that it will be two to a room, so there will be 9 rooms altogether, since there are 18 of us here. Now then, room one?"

Both Fuji and Kikumaru raised their hands at the same time. Kikumaru gave a happy cheer and glomped Fuji. "Fuji, Fuji! We're in the same room." The acrobatic player said happily. The tensai nodded, smiling to his best friend.

Takahiro and Itsuki raised their hands when room two was called for. When the Chessmaster realized who his roommate was, he gave a groan. "Why you…?"

Itsuki didn't seem to share his distress, and he had one arm around the Chessmaster and was bouncing on the spot happily. "I have a room with Haruka-chan!" He sang.

"Room three?" Two hands shot up in the air. One minute later, a hiss could be heard. "Why am I in the same room with you, baka Momoshiro?!"

"How the hell should I know? You must have grabbed that number on purpose to piss me off!"

"You want a fight?" "Of course, mamushi!"

Oishi managed to pull them both apart before they did any actual damage. He then raised a hand when room four was called for. Apparently, Kirihara Akira himself was in that room too.

Sanada and Atobe both raised their hands for room five. They looked surprised when they realized they were each other's roommates, and the next moment, they had turned away, so that their backs were facing each other.

"Ne, Sanada. You should be honoured that you have the fortune of being in the same room with ore-sama." Atobe smirked. Not surprisingly, the dark-haired, cap-wearing boy ignored him, as he threw a slightly longing look in Yukimura's direction.

His blue-haired boyfriend had, apparently, taken room six with Yamato. Room seven held both Kira and Asakawa.

When room eight was called, Kirihara Akira gave a wail of horror. "Why is my Aka-chan in the room with _**that**_ guy?!"

"Aniki! Don't call me that in public! Also, what's so bad of being in the same room with Inui-senpai?" The junior high captain had been so well protected by his brother, he really didn't know the dangers he might be facing just by being in the same room with a certain someone.

Inui's glasses glinted. He put one hand on the younger Kirihara's shoulder and grinned at the distraught older brother. "Don't worry, Kirihara buchou. I'll take good care of your otouto. In fact, he looks a little pale. Maybe he could be the first tester for my new Inui's Black Pumpkin Juice."

"There's such thing as a black pumpkin?" The devil Kirihara asked curiously, while the angel Kirihara was now close to having a nervous breakdown. "Please! Kill me instead! Spare my poor Aka-chan!"

Atobe had to take over with the room arrangements. "Who's in the last room, room nine?"

All eyes immediately turned to the two quietest individuals, who had remained silent when the rooms were called for. "Hmm?" Ryoma threw them a challenging golden glance when he noticed the looks the others were giving him, while Tezuka remained quiet.

"……Eiji! Switch rooms with Tezuka. Now!" Oishi was the first to react to that.

"Hoi hoi! There's no way we can let ochibi-chan be in the same room as him." Kikumaru agreed.

Kirihara Akaya turned to his aniki, who had yet to recover from his trauma. "What's wrong with Tezuka-san and Echizen being in the same room?" He asked, confused. He was the only one oblivious to their relationship, and the others didn't bother to update him on it.

"Yeah. What's so bad of being in the same room with buchou?" Ryoma asked. The Seigaku captain had no idea about what was going on in the not-so-innocent minds of his seniors, and he was better off not knowing.

Kikumaru bounced over to Tezuka and Echizen and had only just opened his mouth to suggest for a room trade when the glare Tezuka gave him sent him scurrying back to Fuji's side. "On second thought I'm pretty happy with my room arrangement." Kikumaru mumbled.

No one else objected to the room arrangements (or at least, no one had the guts to). Tezuka folded his arms. "Today will be a free day for all of you, though make sure the rules are not broken. You're all dismissed to your rooms."

XXX

Rooms one to five were on ground floor, while rooms six to nine were on the first floor.

Ryoma gave a low whistle when he entered the room. "Definitely something the Monkey King would have built. This reminds me of the room in the rehab centre."

He turned to smile slightly at the older captain. "This is the third time I've ended up being your roommate."

"Aa." Tezuka agreed. He watched as Ryoma strode over to the bed next to the window and set his bag there.

"I'll take this bed." The Seigaku captain declared.

"Either one is fine with me." Tezuka stated.

Both of them unpacked their belongings. Ryoma was the first to be done, and he walked over to Tezuka's side. "Here." He held out the gold medal, which they hadn't managed to trade despite the numerous opportunities they had.

Tezuka glanced down at the medal for a while. He closed Ryoma's fingers over the gold prize and gave his boyfriend a small smile. "I'm giving this to you for permanent safekeeping. How about it?"

Ryoma's golden eyes literally sparkled. "Usu. Well. I'm not taking my medal back either then."

Tezuka could never resist it when Ryoma's catlike eyes were fixed on him like that. He bent down and kissed his boyfriend. Neither of them heard the knock on the door, nor did they hear the door open.

"Hmm…you've both exceeded my data. I had calculated that the both of you would kiss only after another 15 minutes."

Needless to say, Inui found himself facing two murderous glares. "Bad time, Tezuka?" He gave a weak laugh.

"What do you want?" The Kanto High captain was not at all happy to be interrupted.

"Oishi has been worried over the both of you, and he had asked me to check up on you guys. Well, I've tried to reassure him that there is a 99 percent chance that whatever it is he fears would not happen, considering your character, but he wasn't too convinced."

"Ceh. Oishi-senpai worries too much. Also, what is he fearing?" the boy asked innocently.

"Nothing you should concern yourself over. By the way, I've calculated a 67 percent chance that Oishi himself would be dropping by to check on the both of you within the next half hour, and a 98 percent chance that Kikumaru would be with him."

Tezuka held up a hand before Inui could speak on further. "That's enough. We get the hint." This was probably Inui's way of asking them to get out of the room A.S.A.P before the Golden Pair came looking for them.

After Inui left, Ryoma glanced up at his boyfriend. Tezuka still had his arms wrapped around him even as he had been talking to Inui, a sign that Tezuka was letting his guard down, as long as it was just with their close circle of friends.

"What are your plans for today, Kunimitsu?" Ryoma asked, leaning backwards slightly against Tezuka's chest.

Tezuka rested his head on Ryoma's shoulder. "To be honest. I have no idea. I really didn't expect your father to play truant."

"It can't be helped. Let's see what his exact words were…ah, yes. He went to chase **big** dreams. Whatever that meant. Anyway, since it's our first time here in this Horrible-Sounding-Name-Mansion, we might as well explore this place a little."

"Aa."

XXX

Apparently, they were not the only ones who thought about doing so. Currently almost everyone was taking a tour of the place, and Atobe was being the gracious host/tour guide.

"This plate has been passed for generations of the Atobe family. There is a very interesting story behind it…" Already, the diva was boasting about his wealth, and both Tezuka and Echizen wisely decided not to join the 'tour group', as they went off on their own. The few who did listen to Atobe were looking impressed.

When Kikumaru wanted to touch the plate, Atobe suddenly changed the subject halfway through his story. "By the way. That artifact there is Two Billion Dollars."

This was a very effective strategy for keeping itchy fingers at bay, as all of them knew that they would most definitely not be able to afford the price of the items should they damage anything.

After dinner, only a few of the tennis players remained in the mansion.

In the gardens, Sanada and Yukimura sat on one of the benches, facing a beautiful fountain, which had a sculpted angel in the centre.

"This is a very nice place. I'm so happy that we could have the chance to be here, Genichirou." Yukimura sighed happily.

"I feel the same about that, Yukimura." Sanada agreed.

Yukimura turned to his boyfriend. "Genichirou…why are you still refusing to call me by my given name?"

Sanada shook his head. "I will not be that disrespectful towards you, Yukimura."

"I'm not the captain anymore. You don't have to be so formal towards me, especially since it's just the two of us here." The blue-haired boy sounded sad.

Sanada seemed to have noticed the change in his boyfriend's expression. He seemed to be coming to a silent conclusion as he wrapped his arm around the other boy's shoulder. "Very well then…Seiichi."

"Genichirou…" The blue-haired boy smiled immediately.

XXX

Meanwhile, unknown to the two boyfriends, they were being watched by several busybodies/matchmakers.

All around the two, tennis players were draped on tree branches, hiding behind benches, ducking inside hedges or simply just standing behind trees.

"There's no doubt that those two are deeply smitten with each other. Sanada's unfailing loyalty to Yukimura has become quite a running joke in our tennis club. In fact, according to my data, when they first met, Sanada had volunteered to be Yukimura's bodyguard home everyday." Inui was saying as he scribbled in his notebook.

"He sounds rather like a stalker." Asakawa stated from behind one of the benches.

Kikumaru, Momoshiro and Kaidou were sitting on the branches, which provided them perfect cover, yet allowed them to have a clear view of everything. "Hoi hoi! I never knew they kissed too! You really can't imagine Sanada doing that, considering how serious he always is." Kikumaru chirped. Next to him, the two homophobics Momo and Kaidou had long turned away from the scene and were now trying very hard not to gag.

Fuji chuckled. "Looks can be very deceiving, Eiji."

There was a rustle in the hedges as Takahiro shifted. "Shouldn't we be giving them some privacy? I don't understand why I would have to be dragged along for this too." The Chessmaster grumbled. "I think I might be sneezing any moment. These leaves are tickling my nose…"

Of course, his 'oni-chan' merely grinned at him. "You must have wanted to watch this too. Otherwise, you wouldn't be convinced so easily."

"That's right, that's right. We don't really have anything better to do today, so we might as well take the chance and watch them." Kikumaru grinned down at all of them.

Oishi hushed him. "Keep your voice down, Eiji. Tezuka will kill us if he catches us spying here. Also, you three had better be careful not to fall from that branch."

Inui raised his head from his notebook. "Speaking of which, let's see how the other stoic fellow is doing."

As one, all of their heads turned to another bench on the right.

The two captains were seated side by side. Both were as still as human statues, and neither of them spoke. In fact, they had a small distance between them, so that not even their shoulders were touching, and neither were they even holding hands.

A huge drop of sweat trickled down everyone's head. "Are those two really dating…?"

XXX

Ryoma was holding a can of Ponta with his left hand, taking an occasional sip from the can. With his right hand, he bounced a tennis ball against the frame of his racket.

Tezuka was engrossed with one of the books he brought, and there were no sounds between them except for the thud of the tennis ball against the frame, as well as the turning of pages.

To them, this was romantic enough, since they could hardly sit next to each other with such a scenic surrounding. However, the mood was somewhat ruined by the occasional chatter nearby.

"Senpai-tachi sure are nosy." Ryoma muttered, his sharp eyesight making a silent calculation of the number of moving shadows beneath the trees.

"Aa." Tezuka agreed.

Another 15 minutes passed by, and the chattering was still going on. By now, Tezuka was already severely irritated. He shut the hard cover book with a loud clap that echoed throughout the gardens. "100 laps now!"

There was a loud yelp, and three thumps as several people had fallen into the hedges below, followed on by another two yelps from the hedges as someone seemed to have been flattened.

XXX

Putting two motherhens in the same room was never a good idea. This was the surest way to ensure a perfectly sleepless night.

Oishi rolled over on his bed. "Are they alright?" He wondered aloud.

"I wonder if all the others are sleeping well. What about Aka-chan. He's in the same room as that Inui! Who knows what he would force my poor brother to drink. If it's not Octopus Shandy maybe it's Beetle Candies." Kirihara Akira mused aloud to himself.

Somehow, that started a conversation between the two, as they continued to worry about the others, and caused more worrying for each other. As it drew closer to midnight, sleep still evaded them.

"I wonder if Tezuka and Echizen are doing alright. Granted, they're dating and whatever they're doing is their business…but…gah! I'm still worried…" Oishi pulled at his hair.

Kirihara nodded. "They're still teenagers, no matter what. Hey, why don't we make a trip to their room to see if they're asleep yet? If they are, our worries can be put aside."

Oishi agreed to the suggestion immediately, and the two motherhens tiptoed upstairs to Tezuka and Echizen's room. Once they've reached there, they pressed their ears to the door, listening for any sounds.

Silence greeted their ears. Just when they were about to return to their room, they heard Echizen's voice.

"Ne, Kunimitsu. Just aim for the hole already. I am getting impatient."

'Eh?'

XXX

Both Tezuka and Ryoma found a carrom set in their room, and as Ryoma was eager to try it out, they placed the wooden gameboard on the ground.

After deciding with the roll of dice, Tezuka was to start first. He stared at the pieces, deciding just how he should be playing this game.

"Ne, Kunimitsu. Just aim for the hole already. I am getting impatient." Ryoma stated, with a mild hint of teasing in his voice.

"Aa. Don't worry. We're taking turns anyway, so you'll have to wait." Tezuka stated.

He continued to analyse the carrom pieces. The black pieces were his, and the white pieces were Ryoma's. He positioned his fingers, ready to hit the pieces.

"This is the first time I'm trying this, so I might not be of any good at it." Tezuka admitted.

"I'm inexperienced with this as well. Well. We'll learn how to do this together. Go on. Just put it in the hole. I'm sure that is easy for you." Ryoma encouraged.

Tezuka gave the game piece a flick. The small black piece bounced off the side and clobbered Ryoma on the forehead.

Ryoma gave a yelp, rubbing his forehead.

"I'm sorry, I've used too much strength. Does it hurt?" Tezuka asked, concerned.

"Of course it does. You don't have to use that much strength. Be gentle. It will go into the hole better then. Who would have guessed that you could be so rough at times? Don't worry. I'm fine." Ryoma added the last two sentences at seeing Tezuka's concerned face.

The older captain reached out. "Here. I'll help you rub it. You should feel better then." Even as he spoke, he gently massaged his boyfriend's forehead. "It's become red…" He stated at seeing the bruise.

The both of them started when they heard two loud thumps outside their door. They exchanged looks, then both of them walked over to the door.

"I don't think it's a burglar now, is it, Kunimitsu?" Ryoma asked.

"I doubt it. Aside from Atobe's drivers, I don't think anyone else can find the location of this mansion." Even if it was, the guy probably wouldn't be able to survive the wrath of a protective Tezuka anyway.

He opened the door, and both of them blinked at the sight of Oishi and the older Kirihara sprawled on the floor.

"What are they doing here?" Ryoma wondered aloud.

"Who knows. They might have been making their rounds." Tezuka deduced.

Ryoma blinked at him in disbelief. "And they just decided to take a nap right in front of our door?"

"I don't know." He glanced down at the younger boy, who had given a shrug and reached for the door.

"Well. Nothing to do with us anyway. Someone else can deal with them."

_SLAM _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Day Two

"Now what seems to be the commotion so early in the morning?" Inui asked, adjusting his glasses and stifling a yawn.

Kirihara Akaya stood by his bedside, with his arms crossed and a rather annoyed look on his face. "My silly aniki is sleeping not far from our door, and I need help carrying him back to his room."

"That's strange. According to my data, his rooms should be downstairs. What is he doing here?" He put on his bedroom slippers and walked out.

Surely enough, right in front of Room 9, there were two unconscious people there. "Just as I calculated…" Inui muttered, spotting the two motherhens together. He reached out and was about to shake Oishi awake…

"Inui! This is bad! Tezuka was (beep) Echizen in that room. You'd better get in there and stop them! Wait, what is the time now? Gah! We're probably too late! They had probably (beeeeeeeeeeeep)!" Oishi had sprung awake like a zombie and was now shaking the data master like a ragdoll.

Kirihara blinked, not at all getting what Oishi was saying. The moon volley player had spoken with the speed of a bullet train, and he didn't manage to catch much of the words.

Inui, on the other hand marveled at how much Oishi would be able to prove his data wrong. Who would have known that the oh-so-motherly player could be so _knowledgeable_ regarding certain areas, and be so creative with his language? It looked like it was time for him to update his data already.

Being the data master and only walking information counter in the entire mansion, naturally, the duty of clearing up all misunderstandings rested on his shoulders. He cleared his throat. "Calm down, Oishi, and explain to me what's wrong…in the meantime, Kirihara-kun. Would you mind running down to the kitchens to get us some breakfast. I believe your brother might have fainted from hunger." Inui lied without even blinking, not that Akaya could see behind his glasses.

"Whatever you say then, Inui-senpai." Once the devil Kirihara was out of earshot, the (not so) Angel(ic) Kirihara regained consciousness, and both of them did a running narrative of what they had heard last night.

Inui jotted everything down in his notebook. "According to my calculations, there is a 99 percent chance that you've both misinterpreted. With Tezuka's character, they're most likely…" Before Inui could finish the sentence, Kirihara Akira was shaking him.

"How could you dismiss this so calmly as a misinterpretation? Do you know how serious is this? If word gets out, their reputations would be ruined, they might probably get kicked out of school, they might even be the only two in their schools to not get a graduation ceremony, they wouldn't get a good job, and they'd probably end up jobless or something!" The two motherhens were already close to hyperventilating as Kirihara Akira was now listing down possibilities.

Inui got rather fed up. "If you're so worried, why don't you ask the two culprits themselves?" He raised his hand and gave a sharp knock.

As his data has calculated, Tezuka was awake, for he opened the door almost immediately.

"What is it, Inui…and Oishi…and Kirihara-san?" Tezuka frowned at his early morning audience.

"Oishi and Kirihara-buchou here has been worried about something. Do you mind if I take a look inside your room? I was hoping to collect some data." Inui asked.

"It's better if you don't. I don't want any of you waking Ryoma up. He wasn't able to sleep until late yesterday, so he's probably still exhausted."

Both motherhens gave a squawk of horror at that, paling slightly. Inui smiled. "I think it's best if you let us in, or they might be here again every night." He lowered his voice, so that only Tezuka was able to hear him.

Tezuka twitched. The idea of being hounded by motherhens appealed to him less than the idea of his room being 'investigated'. He opened the door wider to let them in. "Keep your voices down. 20 laps for anyone who wakes Ryoma up."

Inui immediately began searching for evidence to back his theory, while Oishi and Kirihara were searching for evidence of another kind. Tezuka remained near the door with his arms folded, so that he could shut it the minute they got out of his room.

Inui threw a glance at the bed. Ryoma was indeed dead asleep. According to his data, Ryoma rarely woke early anyway. He looked down on the ground and noticed one black game piece. Bending over, he picked it up and studied it.

"Carrom?" Inui asked.

"Aa. Ryoma and I were playing that yesterday night. Neither of us has played it before, so it was hard for us to hit it into the hole."

Oishi and Kirihara exchanged looks. A relieved expression appeared on their faces. "Oh. So it was only carrom. Thank goodness." They cheered.

"It's just as I said. Sorry to disturb you, Tezuka. We'll be leaving now." Inui said, leading the two out.

Tezuka nodded. "Aa. By the way. 20 laps."

All three of them turned back. "Eh?"

"You woke Ryoma." Tezuka said dangerously. Without wasting another moment, the three began running.

XXX

Ryoma yawned, wondering what he should be doing today. He could probably go to the gardens again with Kunimitsu, but they would most likely be spied on again. He could also tour around the whole mansion. Atobe did boast about all the facilities in here anyway.

The second option appealed to him, and he was just about to make his way to the dining hall when a hiss caught his attention.

He halted, realizing he was right in front of Room 3, which had its door ajar.

"Mamushi. We'll see whose blade is stronger, or are you going to cower from this?"

"Are you asking for a fight, baka Momoshiro? Don't forget that I have a blade here too."

Ryoma blinked. He put his hands behind his head and continued walking away. How troublesome that the both of them had to take their rivalry to a new level. Well, better not get involved in this, since he had nothing to do with it.

He had only walked a few steps when he stopped, frowning. It wouldn't do for his two best players to tear each other to pieces now, would it? As captain, he had a duty to ensure that they had enough regulars to _survive_ the Nationals. If he could play all the matches himself then he wouldn't need to bother, but as he couldn't, he had better save his two players.

With that decided, he turned back and walked into their rooms. Following their sounds of battle, he came to the bathroom, and couldn't help gaping at the grisly sight before him.

For both Momoshiro and Kaidou were having a _shaving_ competition.

"My razor can do a better job than yours, mamushi."

"Fsshhh. My skills are better than yours, so I can shave faster."

Ryoma folded his arms. "Ne. Could you two hurry up and be done with this boring competition? You both don't have that much hair on your face anyway, unless you'd like to shave your head as well."

His voice had caused both of them to jump and give a yelp as they cut themselves.

"Echizen!!!" Both of them snarled at him, clutching their wounded chins.

Ryoma shrugged. "You left the door open."

"You should at least have knocked before you entered. You can't interrupt someone when they're shaving na, you can't yo."

He glanced at Ryoma. "Speaking of that, I've never seen you with any facial hair before. Do you shave daily, Echizen?"

"I don't need to." Ryoma replied shortly.

Both Kaidou and Momoshiro exchanged looks at that. "That's strange…around this age…"

"Maybe he hasn't hit puberty yet." Kaidou muttered. Both of them started snickering at that.

Ryoma looked rather offended. "Ceh. At least I'm not as hairy as two baboons here." He fled out of the room before they could kill him.

XXX

Tezuka's ground rules at least made sure that the tennis players in the mansion had behaved themselves quite nicely.

Sadly, there were hardly any serious tennis practices going on, and while a few of them (like Sanada, Yukimura, Tezuka and Echizen) had gone to hit a few strokes, the rest of them were preoccupied with trying out all the facilities provided.

There was an indoor swimming pool, an indoor home theatre and a bar as well. (The bar only served juices and punch though, since they're all underage anyway)

Ryoma had tried out all three already, and now he walked alongside Tezuka, exploring for any other places he might have missed.

After dinner, the two of them stumbled upon one of the rooms, and Ryoma's mouth fell open, while Tezuka twitched.

"Cool…" Ryoma breathed.

For apparently, Atobe had a built in games room as well, which had snooker, video game machines, chess sets and board games.

It didn't take long for the others to find the place as well. Takahiro's usually blank face lit up like a Christmas tree at the sight of the Chess sets. He made a beeline for them, marveling at how exquisite the chess pieces were. Atobe must have spent a fortune on these.

Inui became his opponent, and the two started their slow-paced game. Kikumaru, Momoshiro, Kaidou, Echizen, Itsuki, the two Kiriharas and Asakawa tackled the video games, Tezuka, Fuji, Yamato and Atobe played snooker, while Yukimura and Sanada played board games. The only one not playing any games was Kira, as he sat in a corner quietly, reading a book he found in one of the built in libraries. Oishi wasn't playing any games either, as he preferred to be an audience.

Apparently, Inui was no match against Takahiro, since this was the Chessmaster's forte. It was only a matter of time before all his white pieces were completely devoured by the black ones.

Needless to say, he wasn't in a very good mood because of it. The data master then went over to the eight who were playing video games.

"Why don't all of you start a competition amongst yourselves? There are quite a number of fighting machines here which I am sure you'd be able to battle with."

Momoshiro looked delighted at the idea. "Why haven't I thought of that? Yosh! I'll be facing you, Echizen."

"Usu. I'll be the winner this time." Ryoma smirked.

The two Kirihara siblings pitted against each other, Kaidou played against Itsuki, and Kikumaru faced Asakawa.

Before any of them could start playing, however, Inui stopped them. "One more thing. The loser for each pair will have to drink this. Inui's special Aozu-Akazu-Kurozu remix."

(A/N: Blue, red and black)

It was only then all of them realized that by following Inui's suggestion, they had fallen into his trap.

"Gomen, Echizen. I'm not going to drink that."

"You should try it, Momo-senpai. It looks delicious." Ryoma replied. Both of them started the game and began bashing each other's characters.

The first to go was the older Kirihara, who lost on purpose so that his precious otouto wouldn't fall victim to Inui's deadly drinks.

The optimistic Itsuki was the next casualty, as he was no match against a frantic Kaidou, who was bashing at the buttons like his life depended on it. (Which it did)

After some time, Kikumaru managed to win against Asakawa, whose character had been dodging all the time. The speedy player died a quick death, since his immunity towards Inui juice had been the lowest.

All eyes were now on the last pair, as the captain and vice-captain of Seigaku were using so much violence in the game, it was most definitely not fit for children's eyes.

Alas, as fate would have it, Echizen had never been able to win against Momoshiro so far when it came to video games, and that record remained standing.

"Douzo." Inui held the drink out to Ryoma, who was wondering if there was a way he could just evaporate on the spot.

"Yadda." He said, making sure to purse his lips least Inui tried to force feed him.

Meanwhile, the game halted at the snooker table, as Tezuka was always able to sense whenever his boyfriend was in trouble. Fuji spotted the drink and walked over. "So that was the new juice you brought to the camp? It looks delicious. Is that cup for the captain? It looks like it could use some more seasoning."

The tensai found it highly amusing to drop a whole load of wasabi into the drink, and the colours instantly switched from pink to florescent green.

Ryoma was downright against drinking it now. "Yadda!!!" No. Any concoction that was the brainchild of both Inui _**and**_ Fuji was not safe for human consumption. Never.

"Aw, come on, Echizen. The others have bravely taken their penalties. As captain of Seigaku, shouldn't you be showing more of an example?" Momoshiro asked evilly.

Ryoma twitched. He really had no way of backing out of this. He might as well try to get this over with quick and regain consciousness as soon as possible, provided he was still alive at that time.

With shaking fingers, he reached out towards the drink and gingerly took it into his hands, eyeing it with great distaste. 'Goodbye, earth.' He thought as he closed his eyes and lifted the cup to his lips.

Somehow, the cup was snatched out of his hands before he could drink from it, causing him to open his eyes in surprise. Tezuka was holding onto the cup, staring at it solemnly. Before Ryoma could stop him, Tezuka swiftly drained the entire contents of the cup with one gulp. One heartbeat later, the Kanto High captain's life ended, with his expression as unchanging as ever.

Okay. That was an exaggeration. The K-High captain most certainly didn't die, but he was out cold. It was a good thing Ryoma reacted immediately and caught his boyfriend before he hit the ground. "Kunimitsu, hang in there!"

"That…that was such a touching sacrifice…" Oishi had tears in his eyes, while Kikumaru sniffed next to him.

"Aa. He'll always be known as the valiant captain who gave his life protecting his precious successor. Ore-sama shall order for a monument to be built for him." Atobe declared.

All their words were clearly not at all helping the distraught Seigaku captain, who was still calling Tezuka's name and shaking him in an attempt to rouse him. Kirihara made a face at the scene.

"Could all of you quit it with the drama already (This sentence was directed at the group of 'mourners')? I didn't realize the Seigaku tradition was so odd, with the predecessors protecting their successors with their lives. The relationship between all Seigaku captains must have been really close." The innocently oblivious devil was coming up with his own theory.

"Well, most Seigaku captains are close, but theirs is a special case. Anyway, someone should carry all of them back to their bedrooms, so that they can rest. Calm down, Echizen-kun." Yamato said soothingly.

Both Sanada and Atobe carried Tezuka back to his room. Ryoma didn't have enough strength to do so anyway. The Seigaku captain walked over to the snooker table.

"Inui-senpai…"

The next moment, he had seized a stick off the table. His golden orbs blazed with such fire, it would have made even Tezuka's glare look soft.

"C'mere!"

XXX

'Is this…heaven…?' Tezuka wondered as he slowly opened his eyes.

He felt like he had just swallowed a whole load of earthworms and cockroaches, mixed with some wet dog fur and muddy socks. That couldn't possibly be part of heaven.

Just then, an angel's face swam into his view. "Kunimitsu, you're awake!"

He blinked, and the face came into clearer focus. Ryoma's. Yup. This must be heaven…wait, if Ryoma was in heaven, that would mean he was…

Just then, Ryoma hugged him, and Tezuka was sure that his boyfriend was very much alive, if his heartbeat was any indication. "Thank goodness you're awake, Kunimitsu." The younger boy sounded extremely relieved.

"Aa." Tezuka croaked. He could still feel the aftertaste on his tongue and had the strong urge to throw up. He threw a sideway glance at his mineral water bottle. "Could you pass me that bottle please?" He asked.

Ryoma obeyed, handing him the drink, and Tezuka took a few gulps to wash the taste away. He wasn't able to completely get rid of it though, and it left a bitter taste on his tongue. He wasn't so sure if he'd have the guts to cover for Ryoma like that again.

Tezuka gave a sigh and lay back. He still didn't feel too well now, and wanted to rest. Ryoma observed him worriedly. "Is there something I can get you?"

"No. All I need is a little sleep and I'll be fine tomorrow." He reassured the other boy.

Ryoma reached out and brushed a lock of brown hair away from his face. "Gomen, Kunimitsu. Because of me, you…"

"It's nothing you should worry over." Tezuka replied. He frowned a little. "How are the others doing?"

"You're the first to wake, I believe. As for Inui, he's in Atobe's private medical wing now for trauma. Don't worry. He wouldn't be feeding you anything again." There was a glint in Ryoma's eyes that caused Tezuka to shudder. It was better off if he didn't ask Ryoma to elaborate.

Ryoma continued to stroke his hair. "You really don't want me to get you anything?"

"Aa. Perhaps you could sing me to sleep?" He joked.

To his surprise, Ryoma took him seriously, and before Tezuka could clarify it as a joke, the boy had started singing.

Instantly, a sense of peace washed over him as he closed his eyes, enjoying the sound of Ryoma's voice. He wouldn't mind drinking Inui Juice again, if this was the compensation. At least he'd die a happy man…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Day Three

Tezuka was most certainly up and about again the next morning, as he was happily assigning laps to anything on two legs.

"Man…is there anyone as strict as that guy? Goodness, even he was not spared…" Asakawa stated as he ran alongside Kikumaru, his gaze fixed on Ryoma. Well, Tezuka was a fair person, so he wouldn't give leeway to Ryoma just because they're dating. The Seigaku captain was given 10 laps for being late to practice. (Earlier that morning, Tezuka had tried waking him, but Ryoma fell right back to sleep)

Ryoma, in turn, seemed to be up to the challenge, so he just ran his laps without any complaints, though he did throw Tezuka a 'mada mada dane' smirk before he ran.

Kirihara snorted. "All of you really shouldn't be complaining about your captain being strict. You should have seen our fukubuchou-sama last year. He will slap or backhand anyone who loses, even if it wasn't a formal match."

"Akaya!" Sanada snapped, trying to shut the devil Kirihara up. Yukimura threw him a disapproving gaze. "You've been hitting people, Genichirou? That's very harsh…"

"Ah yes, I've lost count of the number of times he hit me already, though whenever buchou was around, he became a kitten." Kirihara continued on.

"Akaya!" Now Sanada was blushing.

A cold aura surrounded the place. "You hit my Aka-chan?" Kirihara Akira asked in a low voice, and everyone sped up to keep their distance from him.

Kirihara was enjoying the attention and the looks of disbelief the others were now throwing in Sanada's direction. He decided to add one more sentence. "Did you know that after he lost to Echizen in the Kantou Games last year, he actually asked us all to line up, and we were all to take turns and slap him?"

"You're kidding!" Kikumaru exclaimed. All eyes were most definitely on the sadist/masochist now.

"Genichirou is just very strict with himself, that's all." Yukimura said gently.

"By the way, Kirihara. How did you make it to camp?" Kikumaru asked.

The devil Kirihara gave a smirk. "For us Rikkai Dai members, the junior high section had to compete with the senior high section for the spots, and needless to say, I managed to get through as everyone else is just too weak at tennis…except Yukimura-senpai and Sanada-senpai…" he mumbled the last sentence.

"Oh. So it was decided by tennis. Why didn't Yanagi-san make it then?" Oishi asked.

Kirihara frowned. "Inui-senpai defeated him, and won his spot."

"If only it were the other way around. At least we wouldn't have to drink that horrible juice…wait, Yanagi was the one who taught Inui data tennis right? And most likely also the one who taught Inui how to make the juice right?" The golden pair paled at the thought of the two data master being present in the camp.

Kirihara snorted. "Yanagi-senpai did teach Inui about the juice, but unlike Inui-senpai, who makes anything taste horrible, Yanagi-senpai can make anything taste wonderful."

Kikumaru groaned. "Why wasn't it Yanagi who was here instead nya…"

"You're all too slow. 5 more laps!" Tezuka barked, reminding them that they were indeed still doing their laps.

This round, the ochibi was spared, since he had finished his ten laps earlier than any of them. Now he stood next to Tezuka, giving them a lazy wave.

"Ganbatte, minna. Mada mada dane."

XXX

As Nanjirou would be coming the following day, Tezuka had set a curfew for all of them by 9pm, since they would need all the sleep they could get before the perverted monk gave them his crazy trainings.

Once he made a quick round to make sure that all of them were in their rooms, Tezuka returned to his room and closed the door behind him.

He gave a contented sigh as he whipped out one of the books he brought. He lay on his bed and began reading quietly.

In the next bed, Ryoma had made a call home. "Okaa-san. How's Karupin?"

Tezuka had to hide a smile. Ryoma literally called home three times a day to ask the same question.

There was a short pause as Ryoma listened to his mother's reply. "Ah. That's good…Eh? Oh, don't worry okaa-san. I didn't call home just to ask about the cat." He lied.

Tezuka tried not to eavesdrop as Ryoma pacified his mother, who seemed offended that Ryoma would call home specially to ask about the cat, but didn't bother to ask about anyone else.

After some time, Ryoma ended the call and picked up one of his magazines. Not too long later, he set the magazine down and gave his pillow a fluff before lying down and attempting to sleep. A few more minutes later, he gave a sigh and rolled over.

He repeated this a few times, and Tezuka finally looked up from his book when Ryoma sighed for the 19th time in 20 minutes.

"What's with you?" The older boy asked.

Ryoma cracked open one eye. "I'm bored…and I can't sleep."

Tezuka immediately put his book down and reached inside his bag. He took out a huge, hard-cover tome and held it out to Ryoma.

"Here. I use this for light reading. You might find this entertaining." He said.

Ryoma's eyes widened. That thing? Light reading? For who? A professor???

"Yadda." He didn't even need to think long for a reply.

Tezuka observed him for a while. After some time, he moved aside a little and patted on a spot just next to him.

"Come here."

Ryoma obeyed, sitting next to him on the bed. Tezuka then wrapped one arm around Ryoma's shoulder, pulling him closer. "We'll read this together." He gestured towards the book he had been reading.

Ryoma threw him a playful glare. "What do you take me for? A child?"

"Aa." Tezuka responded jokingly.

He began reading the passages aloud. For him to be able to read his favourite history books to his beloved boyfriend, he couldn't get any happier.

He was so engrossed with what he was doing, it was only after some time before he felt the weight against his arm, and he looked down and realized that Ryoma had changed from a sitting position to a sleeping position, as the boy had already dozed off.

Tezuka didn't have the heart to wake Ryoma up from his peaceful slumber and chase him back to his bed, so he decided to let Ryoma stay. He read on quietly for a while until he too got tired, and he took off his glasses before setting them aside. Carefully, he pulled the covers over the both of them, making sure that he didn't wake Ryoma.

"Oyasumi." Tezuka planted a kiss on Ryoma's forehead before dropping off to dreamland himself.

XXX

Oishi had taken it upon himself to do the wake-up call that morning. Tezuka had wanted all of them to wake by 7, so he made his way to all the rooms, stopping first at room 1.

"Eiji. It's time to wake." He shook his doubles partner lightly.

The redhead merely squeezed his eyes tighter and curled into a ball. "Just give me five more minutes, Oishi." He mumbled sleepily.

Oishi chuckled and turned to Fuji, who was already heading towards the bathroom to wash up. "Please wake him up, and make sure he doesn't go back to sleep once you do."

In the next room, Takahiro and Itsuki were already awake, so he didn't need to linger in the room for too long. In room three, Oishi shook Momoshiro awake, which was an easy task. However, when he woke Kaidou, the snake shot player looked ten times scarier than usual, as he woke with low blood pressure, and had bloodshot eyes, his hiss a note deadlier than normal.

"Who dares to disturb my sleep? Fsssshhh…" Kaidou growled.

The next moment, Momoshiro had thrown his bedroom slippers at him. "Baka mamushi! We're supposed to wake around this time, or have you forgotten that we have morning practice?"

Oishi had to spend ten minutes on pulling them apart, while dodging flying fists at the same time.

He then went to room 5, and gave a start when he heard the sounds of someone hammering on the door violently.

He entered the room, only to find Sanada hollering at the bathroom door. "You've been in there for the past two hours already. I want you to come out. Now!"

"Ore-sama have told you to wait, didn't I, Sanada. My beautiful looks would need the finest treatment, and ore-sama will not rush for the sake of an ordinary-looking peasant." The reply came from the inside.

Well. They're most definitely awake. Oishi walked up the stairs to room 6. Both Yukimura and Yamato smiled at him. "Thank you for waking us up, and sorry for the trouble." Yukimura stated.

Oishi walked on to room 7, passing Sanada, who had disappeared inside room 6. Oishi could faintly hear him saying "Sorry, Seiichi, but may I use the bathroom?"

In room 7, both Kira and Asakawa were already awake. Oishi didn't bother going to room 8, since Kirihara Akira headed for that room first thing every morning to check on his little brother.

He finally reached the last room. Raising his hand, he gave a knock before entering. "Are you awake, Tezuka? It's almost seven and…" his voice trailed off at the sight that greeted him.

Tezuka…and Echizen…in the same bed. The older captain even had his arms wrapped around the black-green haired boy, and both were still in deep slumber.

Oishi's brain froze up. To say that he was shocked was an understatement. In his horrified state, he could only react based on the first instinct that came to mind.

"Tezukaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!" He yelled.

Attracted by the sounds of his screams, footsteps could be heard pounding up the stairs and down the hallway, all heading in the direction of room 9.

XXX

Ryoma was not really sensitive to sounds in the morning, but Tezuka was, and he jolted awake immediately, sitting upright with his eyes still half closed.

He blinked, still slightly groggy. He was rudely awakened from a wonderful dream he had, and his brain wasn't fully awake yet. His blurry vision focused on the figure before him. A coal black face, with holes for eyes…monster?!

At least that surprised him so much that he became more awake. Snatching his glasses from his side, he put them on, and everything became clearer to his vision.

Apparently, the 'monster' was just Atobe, who was doing a facial treatment. Wait. What was Atobe doing here?

Tezuka then realized all of the other tennis players were in the room as well, staring at him with expressions ranging from shocked to smug to downright encouraging. He frowned.

He was confused further when both Momo and Kaidou, who were the last to arrive, sped into the room, took a good look at him, made a U-turn and sped out of the room as fast as they had entered. Kirihara Akira covered his younger brother's eyes and marched the protesting devil out of the door too. What on earth was going on?

The bed shifted slightly, and Tezuka thought he heard a soft sigh. Glancing down, he realized that Ryoma was still sleeping next to him. Not good. He had forgotten about this!

He instantly activated his death glare. 'Don't get any wrong ideas!'

Unfortunately, most of them interpreted the glare as 'you-have-interrupted-something-important, so-get-out!'

"Let's go, Genichirou. We shouldn't disturb them. They're dating after all." Yukimura took his boyfriend's hand and led him out of the door. Eventually, most of them left to give them some privacy, and only a few remained in the room.

"I never knew that Tezuka-buchou and ochibi would end up in the same bed nya. It's just as you feared, Oishi." Kikumaru stated. Next to him, Oishi's mouth was opening and closing rapidly, though no sound came out, making it look as if he were mimicking a goldfish.

"That's pretty bold of you, Tezuka." Atobe smirked, while Fuji took a few pictures.

Tezuka's stare was downright lethal now. "Don't get any wrong ideas…and get out!" He ordered.

"What's wrong, Tezuka? We all know the both of you are dating, so what is there to be so bashful about? If you want to bring your relationship to…urm…another level, that should be up to you as well." Fuji said evilly.

Tezuka turned red. "You're mistaken. Out!"

"Who are you to order ore-sama around in my own mansion?" Atobe retorted. The next moment, a huge, hard cover tome went flying in his face.

"You're too noisy." Ryoma mumbled, his eyes still half closed. A second later, the boy fell back against his pillow and was fast asleep again. Apparently, in his half asleep state, he had grabbed the nearest item (the book Tezuka was reading yesterday) and flung it at the sound of the noise.

"How dare you ruin ore-sama's beautiful face?!" Atobe looked murderous, the effect being multiplied ten times since he was still wearing his seaweed facial mask.

"Maa, maa…calm down, Atobe. He was half asleep. Eiji, drag Oishi out before he faints. Fuji, drag Atobe out." Inui stated. He was, perhaps the only person in the room (aside from Tezuka and Echizen) who had figured out what had actually led to this rather… misleading scenario. Doubtless he'd have a lot of explaining to do to a frantic motherhen in a while. Why on earth was he the one who had to clear up all the misunderstandings this wooden couple was always creating? If only Renji was the one here instead, then the other data master could do all the explaining.

Kikumaru dragged his doubles partner out. Tezuka could hear Oishi going "you…you…how could you…" repeatedly like a chant as the motherhen was taken out the door. Tezuka felt a massive headache coming up. Well, first things first. He'd have to wake Ryoma, take some aspirins, and after that, he hoped they would be able to survive practice.

XXX

Ryoma wondered what on earth was wrong with his teammates. In fact, he wondered what was wrong with all of the tennis players that morning.

Once he and Kunimitsu entered the courts, everyone had gone deadly silent. None of his regulars would even meet his eyes, as all of them directed their gazes at anyone and everything else.

"What's with them?" Ryoma wondered aloud. Tezuka gave a frown, but did not answer Ryoma's question, deciding that the other boy was better off not knowing.

Tezuka went to join his team for a short warm-up session, while Ryoma led his team.

"Ah…ohayou, Echizen. How are you feeling this morning?" Momoshiro asked, his face slightly pink. Next to him, Kaidou had given a hiss and blushed, avoiding Ryoma's questioning glance.

Ryoma blinked. "Am I supposed to feel any different?" He thought about it a while. Oh, that's right. His baka oyaji was coming today. Maybe that's why Momoshiro was asking. "Don't worry. I'm used to that pervert's antics already. I see him everyday anyway, so whatever tricks he comes up with this time would not surprise me."

Both Momoshiro and Kaidou paled. Itsuki remained as optimistic as ever, while Takahiro gave a cough.

"Let's not waste anymore time. We'll begin our warming up exercise now…" Ryoma ordered.

XXX

Meanwhile, outside the mansion, a certain dark-haired man had just stepped out of the limousine. He took in his surroundings, resting his gaze on the mansion before his eyes.

A slow smirk spread upon his face. "Mada mada dana."

To be continued…

A/N: Goodness. It's way past three weeks this time. I think a lot of you are going to kill me for this…(starts building a bomb shelter)

Ohohoho! I just love to write all the misinterpretations. It was fun trying to picture the scenario. I hope it wasn't too lame.

As to what Ryoma did to Inui, I leave that free to your imagination.

Mild spoiler here, but in chapter 348 of the manga, the (masochist) Sanada really ordered all of his club members to slap him. His loss to Ryoma must have really affected his brain. XD

Good news for all Tezuka X Echizen fans out there. Check out the latest manga chapter-chapter 349. There is a bit of Tezuka-Echizen interaction in there which is free for interpretation. Tezuka and Echizen, both changing alone in the clubroom. Ohohohohoho! Not going to give anymore spoilers. Go check out the manga chapter.

**Tezuka: (Reads chapter 349 and noticed Ryoma's state of undress) …Yudan Sezu Nii Ikkou…(nosebleeds)**

For the next round, I will be updating only Life After Seigaku chapter 22 (the second part of the camp), not EOB. Chapter 20 of Echizen, Our Buchou will be updated with chapter 23 of this fic.

**Please Read and Review. No Flames Please.**

-Gwyn


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. If only I could own Tezuka and Echizen…sigh…**

**Warning: May contain spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic.**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, Sanada X Yukimura, Mild Tango Pair fanservice (not a pairing though). Ryoma X Karupin? Atobe X Fuji fanservice (not a pairing), Oishi X Kikumaru fanservice (Free for interpretation. Could be a pairing or just friends)**

A/N: Well then, this entire chapter will be about the second part of the camp. As mentioned, only updating this fic this round. Echizen, Our Buchou will have to wait until the next chapter of this fic is updated.

**aLAINE**, as to when Tez will move their relationship further, you'd have to wait for the sequel. I'm keeping my current fics smut free…then again, the sequel doesn't have smut either. Just hints.

**Quill**, nope. It wasn't Ryoma. It was Tezuka who pulled Inui's pants down in the manga, and caused him to grill his little hobbit. Ryoma was just seated there as a witness. Inui really had a tendency to lose his pants, doesn't he? First to Kisarazu Ryou and later to the good, old stoic buchou Tezuka. XD

**HEIDI**, glad you liked the scene where Tez had dinner at the Echizen household, and the scene where he 'sacrificed' himself for Ryoma. He will be dearly missed. (salutes)

To the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 22

All of the tennis players were having their morning practice, and there was nothing eventful, save for a teeny incident where Kirihara Akira had to retire to his room after taking one more of Inui's inventions, which was actually meant for his little brother. It was shortly before the time for breakfast when Atobe's servants suddenly announced the arrival of a new guest.

"Ah. I believe that should be our coach." Atobe said.

Ryoma placed his hands behind his head. "About time."

One of the men in black ushered in a middle aged man, who wore monk robes. The man smiled and waved at all the tennis players cheerily, looking as if he had not being playing truant from this camp in the first place.

Kirihara Akaya frowned. "That's…our coach?" He asked.

Itsuki looked mildly sympathetic. "The poor monk. He must have lost his way…"

Atobe strode forward and made a sweep of his arms in the monk's direction. "This is the coach who will be training us- Nanjirou-san."

The monk scratched his head lazily. "So sorry for the delay. The Emperor of Japan had decided to invite me over for a cup of tea, and I couldn't possibly say no…"

Everyone sweatdropped at the lame excuse. "So that's why ochibi-chan's lies were always so terrible. It's inherited."

"Aa." Oishi agreed to his doubles partner's statement.

The monk smirked slightly at seeing the look of disbelief on Kirihara's face. "Well. I guess I had better introduce myself then. Echizen Nanjirou. Yoroshiku."

"Echizen???" For those who didn't know Nanjirou, their gazes were instantly directed in Ryoma's direction.

Ryoma pulled down his cap to hide his face. "Just an old monk who coincidentally shares the same name."

"Now, now, Ryoma. Is that the way you address your dear otou-san?" Nanjirou grinned, striding over and putting one hand on Ryoma's shoulder. He just loved it when Ryoma got embarrassed like that. Ryoma gave a soft "Ch" at that, but said nothing more.

"So that's Echizen's father? They look nothing alike…" Kirihara stated. Nanjirou was loud, while Ryoma was quiet. Also, while Ryoma had his father's dark hair, the shape of his face and eyes were nothing alike his father's.

Sanada glared down at the devil Kirihara. "Akaya. Behave yourself. This is Echizen Nanjirou. In other words, the former tennis professional Samurai Nanjirou." His voice held a great amount of awe and respect for the monk.

At hearing that, a few looked like they wanted to get Nanjirou's autograph. The monk gave a snort. "It's been a very long time since I last used that title. I'm just Nanjirou now, so you all don't have to stare at me like that. Also, I don't give autographs…but, if any of you have pretty sisters and you could introduce them to me, then I might reconsider." His words were cut short when Ryoma stomped on his foot.

"Behave yourself, oyaji." Ryoma really wished he could hide himself somewhere and spare himself the embarrassment of seeing his dad make a fool of himself here.

"Is he really a former pro, Sanada-senpai?" Kirihara asked.

The next moment, Nanjirou had directed his attention to him. "You there. What's your name?" Who knows. If Ryoma had mentioned this guy before, then he would be a very good player. If not, Nanjirou wouldn't bother challenging him.

"Kirihara Akaya." Rikkai Dai's junior high captain stated.

Nanjirou rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm…Ryoma hasn't mentioned you before…oh wait. Are you related to the guy who called himself the Devil Kirihara?"

Everyone stared at the monk. "Oyaji. He _is_ the Devil Kirihara." Ryoma told him.

Nanjirou gave him a hard stare. "Strange…" The next moment, the monk beamed again. "Ah. Gomen, gomen. I must have mistaken you for someone else. Well then. Someone should show me to my room now."

"Oyaji…you didn't bring any luggage?" Ryoma asked incredulously.

Nanjirou gave a laugh. "Ah. Silly me. I left everything in the limo. Well, I'll go and fetch it then."

He returned not too long later. The servants were carrying his luggage, while Nanjirou was holding…

"Karupin!" Aside from Tezuka and Momoshiro, the others had never seen Ryoma's expression change so drastically before. The boy's gaze softened, and a smile had appeared on his face. Tezuka had seen this expression before, considering it was also directed at him as well, while Momo had returned Karupin to Ryoma before, and had seen the same expression on his face.

The cat heard his voice and leapt out of Nanjirou's hands, running towards Ryoma, who swept the Himalayan cat into his arms and carried him gently.

Nanjirou smirked. "Heh. Your reaction is so predictable. Mind, your mother insisted I bring that thing, or you'll be calling home non-stop to ask about it."

Ryoma ignored the samurai; as he was now busy stroking the cat behind its ears, reducing it to a purring ball of fur.

Nanjirou took one of the luggages from one of Atobe's servants. "Now then. Where's my room?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryoma's dad was placed in the room next to Ryoma's, which is room 10. Not surprisingly, some of the tennis players like Momo and Kaidou were bemoaning the unfairness of it, that the samurai could have a room all to himself when the two bitter rivals couldn't. Oishi too was upset that Nanjirou could have a room all to himself…for he would have been able to worry less if only Tezuka and Echizen were separated to different rooms too.

As for Tezuka, Nanjirou was the least of his problems now. At the moment, the stoic captain couldn't help wondering if there was something wrong with himself. For one…he might be the only person in the world to ever feel jealousy…towards a cat!

With Karupin's arrival, Ryoma's attention was effectively stolen from him, as now the boy fussed over the Himalayan feline. Tezuka's face showed nothing, but Fuji and Inui could see that the boy was looking severely envious when Ryoma played with his cat. Tezuka could have sworn that his bratty boyfriend's equally bratty cat had given him a bratty stare, as if laughing at him for being left out.

"I feel sorry for Tezuka…" Fuji chuckled, seeing how Tezuka had stolen a glance in Ryoma's direction, though the green-haired captain was too preoccupied with brushing Karupin's fur to notice Tezuka's jealousy.

"Aa. I hadn't calculated the chances of the cat coming over, but there is a 90 percent chance Tezuka would be assigning more laps than usual after this." Inui stated.

"I wonder if this might interfere with Atobe's plans." Fuji said thoughtfully.

Inui raised an eyebrow. "Oh. You've noticed?"

"That this whole camp was part of his plan for the birthday party? Yes." Fuji smiled in reply. With that, they turned their attention back to the two pillars.

Ryoma picked up his cat and cradled the feline, rocking it gently. Not too long later, the Himalayan fell asleep in its owner's arms.

"Karupin always love it when I do this. Ever since he was a kitten, he has always felt safe when I rock him like this. You can stroke his fur if you want to, Kunimitsu." Ryoma said at seeing Tezuka stare at the cat. The Seigaku captain had mistaken Tezuka's look of dislike towards the cat for a look of longing instead.

Tezuka twitched. He wasn't a cat-hater, but this was one feline he didn't want to touch. It stole his Ryoma's affections after all. Still, he couldn't refuse when Ryoma was giving him that look. With that, he reached out and gently stroked the cat behind the ears. That seemed to have pleased Ryoma, for his golden eyes literally sparkled with delight at the gesture. Seeing Ryoma this happy, Tezuka soon forgot about his dislike, and didn't protest even when Ryoma placed the cat in his arms instead.

Unknown to the two, they were being watched by several of the other tennis players. Inui was scribbling madly in his notebook, while Fuji was taking pictures of the scene.

"Whoa…Tezuka-san and Echizen must really be fans of cats. Look at the way they're holding that thing." Kirihara Akaya said. That was how the oblivious devil interpreted it.

"Somehow they look rather sweet together like that. Kinda like a family. Ne, Oishi?" Kikumaru nudged his doubles partner in the side to direct his attention to the two.

"Aa. By the way, why are we hiding everything from the younger Kirihara anyway?" Oishi lowered his voice.

Kirihara Akira gave them a frown. "My Aka-chan is way too young for this. I don't want any of you to corrupt his mind."

"He's already a third year, Kirihara-san…" The others didn't know whether to feel amused or sorry for the younger Kirihara. He really had such an overprotective older brother. Strangely, unlike Fuji's relationship with Yuuta, the younger Kirihara didn't seem to mind his older brother's mollycoddling.

Everyone turned their attention back to the two captains. Both of them were now returning to their room, most likely to put the sleeping cat somewhere.

"Well. I don't think we have to worry about laps after all. Tezuka looks to be in a good mood."

"I hope he stays that way." Sanada muttered darkly.

XXX

Apparently, Tezuka didn't stay jolly for long. For one, Nanjirou's arrival at the mansion hasn't changed anything. They could forget about 'adult supervision'. Nanjirou might be physically an adult, but mentally he was still very much mada mada, as he even joined the others with their video games. Needless to say, Tezuka once again found himself playing the role of the law enforcement officer in the camp, and this round, the rules extended to even Nanjirou himself.

The poor Kanto High captain had to go off in search of some aspirins when Nanjirou attempted to show all the tennis players his magazine collections, much to Ryoma's mortification. Sanada was left blinking (and blushing slightly) when Nanjirou offered to share his magazines with him, even pointing out the juicy bits to the stoic cap wearing boy.

"No thank you." Sanada declined. He had seen prettier people anyway, with one standing next to him now.

"Ceh. You're no fun. You kinda remind me of the Tezuka-boy. Are all youths this stoic nowadays? So uncute." Nanjirou went off to look for other victims.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one hunting for victims to bully. Atobe was doing a similar thing too, as the diva was going around and challenging everyone to a peasants' game.

Inui managed to collect a lot of good data from this. Somehow, it wasn't just Tezuka who lost repeatedly to Atobe. Apparently, everyone else did too, as Atobe had a strange, unbeatable stroke of luck and practically won against any challenger who went against him.

He really owed Tezuka one for introducing this game to him. If he ever became the student council president someday, he would make this one of the school's official games during sports day. Be awed by his rock, scissors and paper.

One challenger, however, was giving him one hell of a hard time winning, and was also giving Tezuka yet another bout of headaches.

"Paper! Scissors! Rock!" Somehow, both Atobe and Ryoma kept using the same signs, bringing their game to a draw repeatedly.

"Rock!" Again, both of them showed a fist. It was a draw once more.

"Is this ever going to end? They've been at this game for over fifteen minutes already." Asakawa wondered aloud. Next to him, Kirihara yawned. He wasn't the only one, as even the other spectators were wondering if the two arrogant, stubborn players would just hurry up and call it a day already.

Tezuka was the one to finally put both of them to a stop. It was a good thing he did, or more than half of the audience present would have fallen asleep already.

Sometime during the afternoon, Nanjirou finally started on practice. He made all the Seigaku and Rikkai Dai regulars (sans Ryoma) play against him in a short rally first, as he needed to judge their strengths.

While Nanjirou dealt with the others, Tezuka and Ryoma were playing against each other in another court.

"They're still trying to reactivate the pinnacle, aren't they?" Fuji observed.

"Aa. Those two are really stubborn people, so they won't give up so easily." Oishi glanced worriedly at the two captains. He could see what Tezuka meant, as Ryoma was obviously struggling to reactivate his skill, but so far, he hadn't any luck. The moon volley player fervently hoped that Ryoma would recover his skill before the Nationals. Otherwise, if he ever faced _that_ guy again… A shudder ran through Oishi at that thought. This time, Tezuka wouldn't be around to protect him. That's for sure.

Nanjirou had already analysed all their levels. For people like Kirihara (Akaya), Momoshiro, Kaidou, Itsuki, Takahiro, Yamato, Kira, Oishi, Kikumaru and Asakawa, he made all of them do 50 frog jumps around the courts, much to their dismay. As for people like Atobe, Fuji, and Inui, he made them play against the ball machines, setting the speed to 200km/h per shot. Kirihara Akira, Sanada and Yukimura were playing against him personally.

"Not bad, not bad. I'd say that you might be better than that Tezuka boy." Nanjirou commented about Yukimura's skills.

The blue haired boy smiled. "No. We're around the same level."

"You don't have to be that modest, boy. Are you really male? You look like one pretty onee-chan." Nanjirou teased. The next moment, he found Sanada throwing him a glare so powerful, it could have drilled a hole through his skull. The cap-wearing boy must have thought that he was flirting.

Nanjirou snickered. He could put two and two together as he watched the blue-haired boy pacify the cap-wearing boy. So Tezuka and Ryoma weren't the only oddballs amongst the tennis players, it seemed.

He turned to the older Kirihara. "Your turn next. That wasn't your real level, was it? I was hoping to get more of a challenge from you, Kirihara-kun."

"I'm not that person anymore, Echizen-san." The Rikkai Dai captain said quietly. He served…

Meanwhile, Tezuka and Ryoma had finally decided to take a break. The prodigy sat beside his boyfriend, handing Kunimitsu's water bottle and towel over to the Kanto High captain. He observed his father's game with the Rikkai captain.

"Ne, Kunimitsu. How powerful is he?" Ryoma asked curiously. Nanjirou was completely kicking the older Kirihara's butt, and Ryoma wondered why his father even bothered to play against him in the first place.

Tezuka frowned and shook his head. "I do not know. So far, we've never had a match against him before. According to Inui's data, he has never lost a match. However, he has forfeited plenty of matches. Inui mentioned something about Kirihara-san being overly worried that his opponents might get injured."

Ryoma chuckled. "Heh. It's hard to believe he and the devil Kirihara are related. They're as different as oyaji and okaa-san." He watched on a while longer. Nanjirou had won, 6 games to 1. The monk looked highly unsatisfied with the game, and challenged the angel Kirihara to another match.

"Ne, Kunimitsu…you might want to keep an eye out on him." Ryoma stated.

Tezuka glanced down at his boyfriend. "Hmm?"

Ryoma's golden eyes were serious. "Aside from me, Oyaji never challenges anyone on his own accord. Don't let your guard down."

Tezuka raised an eyebrow at his lines being stolen, but otherwise said nothing more as they continued watching the game.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning marked the day Atobe would officially hold the birthday celebration, so the night before, Tezuka allowed everyone to retire to their rooms early.

Ryoma dozed quietly, with Karupin curled up next to him. In his sleep, he could feel an arm thrown around him.

"Kunimitsu…" he mumbled, snuggling closer to the comfortable source of warmth. Somehow, Kunimitsu had a distinct smell on him that morning. Smelt rather like…cigarette smoke…

Ryoma opened his eyes.

"GAAAAAAHH!" The Seigaku captain yelled. This was then followed by a loud thump, as someone fell out of the bed.

Tezuka jolted awake, instantly alert as he snatched up his glasses and put them on. He glanced over, and was greeted by the sight of the Seigaku captain pointing a shaking finger in a disgruntled samurai's direction.

"Seishonen, how could you kick your father out of bed like this?" Nanjirou yawned, rubbing his head.

Ryoma looked too angered for words. "O-oyaji! What the hell are you doing in my bed? How did you come in here in the first place?" He snarled.

Nanjirou only answered the first question, and ignored the second. "What's so bad of being in the same bed as my own son? We're family after all, so there's nothing wrong with that. It's called father-son bonding, Ryoma. Didn't we share the bed every time we went out for an outing?"

Ryoma turned red with embarrassment, feeling very aware that Kunimitsu was watching them. "I stopped doing that ever since I was five. You should realize I'm not a kid anymore. Get back to your own room, oyaji!"

Nanjirou pouted. "Such an ungrateful son. After all these years of raising him, is this how he repays me, by kicking his own father out?"

'Aspirins…need aspirins…' Tezuka thought, massaging his head as the Echizen duo were now squabbling amongst each other. He was pretty sure all the other occupants of the house were awake by now. In fact, there was a high chance Inui was scribbling away next door.

"Echizen-san. You may take my bed. I'm going to the next room." Tezuka stated.

Ryoma shook his head. "Oyaji can take my bed. I'll move to room 10."

Nanjirou clapped his hands together. "A splendid idea, Ryoma. You can help me guard my precious stash in room 10, and in the meantime, I'll be telling Tezuka-kun here all the cute things you've been doing when you were a kid."

Ryoma twitched. So this was why room 10 was uninhabitable, and his baka oyaji had to run over to his room.

Tezuka gave a sigh. "We'll settle with the room arrangements later." He went to wash up first, leaving the two Echizens to engage in a glaring competition. Atobe had asked to meet up with him around 8.30 am, and he wondered what the diva was up to.

XXX

Atobe gave a snap of his fingers. "Perfect. You're all dismissed now."

His personal servants and tailors left the room. He threw a glance to his left, where a brunette captain stood. He had asked to meet up with Tezuka, as they would need time to dress up for the party. Both of them now wore formal suits, with Atobe's being grey, and Tezuka's being black.

The Kanto High captain frowned slightly. "It's only a simple birthday party. Do we have to wear something so extravagant?"

Atobe seemed highly offended by Tezuka's statement. He snorted and threw his nose up in the air. "Tezuka. Ore-sama don't do _simple_ birthday parties. I don't see what's so extravagant about these clothes anyway. Besides, this doesn't look like the first time you're wearing a tux, so why are you looking so uncomfortable."

"We're senior high students, not businessmen…" Tezuka sighed. He really hated his luck when it came to Atobe's favourite game. Why couldn't they have settled this with a game of tennis instead…

Atobe gave his hair one final brush. "You wouldn't have the chance of wearing this in the future anyway, so you should make good use of this opportunity. Besides, aren't you curious to see what Echizen's reaction might be like?"

Tezuka stopped protesting immediately. After a final check on his dressing, the Kanto High captain followed his vice-captain out of the door, heading towards the main hall, where the party was to be held.

Most of the others were already there. Atobe had asked his tailors to make some formal suits for them too, though the designs weren't as classy as the ones he and Tezuka were wearing currently. The birthday boys would have to stand out after all.

"Happy birthday, Tezuka-buchou, Atobe-fukubuchou!" Several of those who spotted them greeted, and this same greeting was eventually repeated by everyone present.

Not all of them were here though. Most of the Kanto High members and Seigaku members were here, though aside from Inui, the other Rikkai members were missing.

Tezuka glanced around. He couldn't find Ryoma anywhere.

Not too long later, they could hear the Kirihara brothers walking over to the hall. "Now then, make sure you behave yourself today, Aka-chan. No gobbling, no hitting anyone and no food fights." The motherhen older brother instructed.

Everyone stared as a complete stranger walked over to them, with his black hair neat and slicked back, and his shirt fully ironed.

"Er…you are…?" Momoshiro asked.

The boy couldn't take it anymore. "Gah! This is very uncomfortable!" He ruffled his own hair, making all the ends stick up all over the place. It was only then they were able to recognize him.

"Kirihara?" Talk about a makeover. The others couldn't even recognize him for a moment.

The older Kirihara looked hurt. "Aka-chan. Do you have any idea how long it took me to help you tame your hair down? Your onii-chan's efforts are wasted…"

"I look fine like that, aniki." The devil Kirihara protested.

Tezuka was looking around anxiously. Where was his Ryoma? Even Nanjirou was here already (wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of shorts and looking completely out of place) but there was no signs of the Seigaku captain.

XXX

Rewind a couple of hours

Ryoma had gotten tired of bickering with his baka oyaji. That guy could hog his bed for all he cared.

He wandered down to the kitchens after washing up, hoping to get some tidbits for Karupin. Upon entering the kitchen area, he was surprised to see someone else there already.

Not wanting to interrupt anything, he turned around and was about to leave, but the other person spotted him and greeted him. "Ohayou."

"Ohayou, Yukimura-san." Ryoma replied. He noticed that the blue-haired boy was boiling something, and curiosity got the better of him as he went over to have a closer look. "What are you cooking?"

Yukimura smiled. "Sanada mentioned that he wasn't sleeping well these few days, and he said he had a headache. I'm making some chicken soup for him."

Ryoma could smell the aroma rising from the soup. It certainly looked appetizing. His fingers itched to start whipping up something good for his Kunimitsu too, though the sad thing was…he had practically never cooked in his entire life before. Nope. That was all done by Nanako and his mother.

Yukimura seemed to have read his mind, as the blue-haired boy smiled at him. "Echizen-kun. Tezuka would be celebrating his birthday today. Are you getting him anything?"

"Well…I was thinking of challenging him to a match later…" He wasn't used to this present-giving tradition, considering his family didn't practice it. Besides, he wouldn't know what to get for Kunimitsu, so he would rather fall back to good old tennis, which he was sure Kunimitsu would enjoy.

Yukimura was tactful enough to not laugh at his reply. The blue-haired boy stirred the pot a little before continuing on. "What is Tezuka's favourite food?" He asked.

"Unacha." Ryoma replied immediately. He knew that Tezuka ordered this frequently whenever they went to Japanese restaurants.

Yukimura seemed to consider this. "There are many ways you can make Unacha. I can teach you a simple one. Don't worry about the materials. Atobe seemed to have stocked almost everything in his numerous fridges."

Ryoma's eyes sparkled at that. "Doomo."

"Don't mention it. Genichirou, you can stop hiding at that corner there now." Yukimura suddenly called out, causing Ryoma to jump slightly in surprise.

Sanada walked over. "How did you know I was there?"

"We've known each other for quite a while already, and you're not that stealth." Yukimura gestured towards the pot. "The soup is for you. After this, I'd appreciate it if you could join me in teaching Echizen-kun here."

Sanada threw a glance in Ryoma's direction. The fila cap wearing boy had finally found what he needed - eel, and now he was staring at it in confusion, wondering what on earth was he supposed to do to make it edible.

Sanada sighed. "I'd gladly offer my help, Seiichi. He's going to need it."

XXX

Back In The Main Hall

Tezuka didn't really have the chance to go look for Ryoma, as at the moment, he had to entertain the bunch of well-wishers.

"Happy 16th birthday, Tezuka." Oishi said.

"Arigatou." Tezuka thanked him curtly. Nearby, Atobe was basking in the attention his 'peasants' were giving him.

"Ore-sama thank you all for your well-wishes. With my birthday, my skills and looks are getting better everyday. Be awed by ore-sama, you loyal subjects."

Just then, the Kanto High captain could hear Momoshiro give an exclamation. "Echizen! You're finally here!"

Both Momo and Kikumaru had bounced over to the boy in moments, with Kikumaru giving Ryoma a bear hug. It wasn't a wonder Ryoma's formal wear wasn't crumpled.

"Hoi hoi! Where have you been? You look really cute in those clothes. By the way, ochibi, what do you think of Tezuka?" The acrobatic player nudged him.

He need not have bothered though, as Ryoma's gaze was already fixed on Tezuka when he entered the room. When it came to formal suits, Atobe wore it so frequently that it made no difference whether he was wearing one or not. As for Tezuka, he rarely put one on, and Ryoma felt that the Kanto High captain should wear this more often. The suit gave him an air of maturity, though not to the extent of looking 'old'. Also, as cheesy as it sounded in Ryoma's mind, the words 'downright handsome' had popped into his head almost immediately.

Momoshiro and Kikumaru watched on eagerly as Ryoma strode over to his boyfriend, while nearby, Kaidou had given a hiss and scurried off. The homophobic dead didn't want to be caught seeing something he couldn't take.

He halted a couple of steps away from the brunette captain, and the two busybodies inched closer, eager to hear what Ryoma might have to say to the senior high captain.

"Not bad." He stated the words simply. Nothing more, nothing less.

Momoshiro frowned. "Is that all? He can't be that unromantic na, he can't yo."

Tezuka, on the other hand, knew that it was already a good enough compliment, considering the Seigaku captain usually opened his mouth to give snarky comments. Ryoma reached up and adjusted Tezuka's collar slightly. A few feet away, Kirihara Akaya observed everything and shook his head.

"Seigaku captains are really so strange…" No one bothered to correct him, deciding that he was better off with his own assumptions.

"Where were you just now anyway?" Tezuka finally asked.

He wondered why Ryoma had gone slightly pink at the question. "Ne, Kunimitsu. Follow me. I have something to give you."

Tezuka glanced around. Atobe seemed to have kept everyone occupied with his 'ore-sama' talk anyway, so both he and Ryoma snuck off unnoticed.

Or at least, he thought they had snuck off unnoticed. Atobe spotted them leaving the hall and decided to tag along, with several other matchmakers trailing behind him. The rest who didn't follow were busy helping themselves to the feast Atobe's cooks had prepared.

XXX

Tezuka followed his boyfriend into the kitchen area. He could smell something cooking, and watched as Ryoma handed him a bento.

"Well…it's your birthday celebration today…and I thought…I mean…well…you haven't taken breakfast yet and all…so…this is for you…" Ryoma handed it to him. The boy was trying to not make it obvious that he had cooked this especially for Tezuka, and had put on a nonchalant face.

For his usually passive boyfriend to go through all that trouble, Tezuka couldn't help feeling a twinge of happiness. Unacha, his favourite food. How nice that Ryoma knew what he liked even though Tezuka had never mentioned it.

He took a bite, and, well…how should he put this?

A rather _unique_ flavour had exploded on his tongue. No one could make Unacha like Ryoma did. Tezuka polished off the whole meal, much to Ryoma's delight.

"Arigatou, Ryoma, for the bento." He said warmly.

Ryoma was trying not to look too pleased with himself. "You're welcome."

XXX

Meanwhile, the few heads that poked into the kitchen retracted once the whole drama was over.

"Heh. Echizen's attempts at being romantic are rather pathetic, but at least he tried. Ah…now I miss my Ann-chan's bentos." Momoshiro sighed.

They headed back to the main hall. This time, Sanada and Yukimura were there. Momoshiro spotted Yukimura holding another bento. "What is that, Yukimura-san?"

The blue-haired boy looked down. "Oh. This? Echizen-kun made too much food, and there were a lot of eel leftover. I didn't think it was nice to waste, so I kept the remainders."

"Hoi hoi! Let me try!" Kikumaru chirped.

"If there is anyone who should have the first bite, it should be ore-sama." Atobe declared.

Inui and Fuji beat him to it, as they both took a piece of eel each. "I wonder what kind of data this will give me."

Both of them popped the pieces into their mouths. The next moment, both of them had keeled over, out cold.

"Fuji! Inui!" Oishi went into panic attack mode, joined shortly by Kirihara Akira when the other motherhen saw what was going on. The motherhen pair flapped around the room, trying to look for some form of antidote. Atobe gave a snap of his fingers. "Take these two to the medical centre. Also, have that _thing_ put under quarantine immediately."

As all the servants acted on Atobe's orders immediately, everyone else took this as a valuable lesson.

The moral of the story is: There are unspeakable horrors on the face of this earth that are far more terrifying than Inui Juice.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After (the fiasco at) breakfast, the birthday celebration was in full swing.

Tezuka finally saw what Atobe meant by not a _simple_ birthday party. The diva had, apparently, invited an entire orchestra to perform for the event, and now all of them sat in one of the halls in the mansion, listening to Latin composition.

The Kanto High captain felt increasingly awkward by the minute. Never in his life had he ever had a birthday party this bombastic. He didn't know whether to thank Atobe for this, or to find a place and hide before his old-fashioned mind went on overload.

Atobe and Sanada were the few who actually paid full attention to the orchestra performances. After the orchestra, there was a Shakespearean play, and Tezuka really had no idea what this had to do with birthday parties. After that, there was a circus and a fashion show…and after that Tezuka's mind had long zoned out.

He felt a gentle squeeze at his hand, and looked down to find Ryoma giving him a reassuring smile. The Seigaku captain must have sensed his boyfriend's discomfort with the whole exaggerated celebration. In fact, the only one who looked completely at home was Atobe himself. The minds of the super rich worked differently after all.

Tezuka felt that there was nothing that Atobe could come up with next that would surprise him anymore. The diva stepped out onto a makeshift stage. One of his men gave him a mike, and he spoke into it.

"My loyal subjects. Ore-sama hope that all of you have been enjoying yourselves. Be awed by ore-sama's wonderful event planning. Now, we have come to a special game-lucky draw! It works roughly like the truth and dare game…"

"How would Atobe know about truth and dare nya?" Kikumaru whispered.

Fuji chuckled. "Saa…" He replied, even though he was the culprit behind it.

"…three names will be called out, and the three of you will have to perform a task. The duration for this is one hour, until after lunch."

"What kind of game will take one hour?" Takahiro frowned.

Atobe ignored the question. He clapped his hands twice, and a maid came forward, holding a glass box. Atobe reached into the box and pulled out a slip of paper.

"The first name. Kikumaru Eiji."

"Hoi! I won! Oishi, I won nya!" The redheaded acrobatic player cheered.

Atobe pulled out another slip of paper.

"Next. Fuji Syuusuke."

Fuji gave a chuckle and walked up stage, standing next to Kikumaru.

Atobe literally stirred the contents of the box for a while before he pulled out the final piece of paper.

"Our last participant…Echizen Ryoma."

The boy joined Kikumaru and Fuji wordlessly.

Atobe gave a wave of his hand, and his maid left the stage.

"Well then. Congratulations to all three of you for being chosen in the lucky draw. Now, ore-sama command all of you…to dress as princesses."

Stunned silence filled the hall. A few jaws dropped, including Tezuka's. Nanjirou had burst out with laughter. The victims were frozen for a while, though their reactions were immediate.

"Hoi?"

"Again?"

"Yadda."

Atobe made a sweep of his arm. "Don't forget the rule. During your stay here, ore-sama's commands are absolute. Go in through the door there. It's the dressing room. There are more than 30 gowns for all three of you to choose from, so enjoy yourselves."

Ryoma inched away. "I've just remembered that I've made an appointment with Karupin so…see you!"

Before he could run off, however, Kikumaru caught his right arm, and Fuji took his left.

"Now then, Echizen-chan. We're all in the same boat, so it's better if you don't leave. Ne?" Fuji said, his eyes opened slightly to reveal blue diamonds.

Kikumaru nodded. "That's right, ochibi. It's not good for you to run off by yourself. We're in this together."

Both of the senior high first year tennis players had the same thought in mind. 'If we can't escape from this, we're dragging you along with us.'

"Yadda! I'm not interested with this stupid game. Let me go! Yadda!!!" They could hear his yells even as he disappeared into the room, dragged by his two evil seniors.

XXX

The rest of the tennis players were left to their own devices while waiting for the three victims to make their appearance.

After an hour, Fuji and Kikumaru emerged from the changing rooms. Their clothes were slightly different from the ones they wore during the school anniversary. This time, they took on a ballroom theme, as their gowns were simple yet elegant. Fuji's was blue, which brought out the colour of his eyes, while Kikumaru's was red-the colour of his hair.

"Whoa! Those two really don't look male at all!" Itsuki exclaimed.

Even though they were dressed as the opposite gender, they seemed to carry themselves pretty well. Fuji remained smiling, while Kikumaru still felt that it was a fun experience, and had given a twirl on the spot to show them the gown.

"We seem to be missing someone…" Asakawa stated.

Fuji gave a chuckle. "Ah. That's right. He's still having his hair done. We'll go fetch him now."

They disappeared inside again, and before long, everyone could hear a loud yell from inside the room.

"Yadda! I'm not going out looking like this! Yadda!"

At long last, the Seigaku captain was retrieved from the dressing room. The minute he set foot into the room, silence descended upon everyone, as nearly all jaws dropped. Tezuka gaped at him, as his mask completely crumbled.

"E-E-Echizen-buchou?!" Ryoma's fellow Seigaku regulars exclaimed in disbelief.

Unlike Fuji and Kikumaru, Ryoma's gown was pure white. Who knew what kind of threats and blackmails Fuji and Kikumaru had used, but apparently, Ryoma even had a bit of makeup on his face, as now his lips were painted red. Tiny white rosebuds were tucked neatly into his black-green locks, matching very well with his gown.

"Tezuka. I will have to congratulate you…" Oishi stated, patting his best friend on the shoulder.

Echizen would have looked dropped dead gorgeous indeed, if he wasn't wearing a scowl on his face that said he wished to kill everyone and everything in the room. His scowl deepened at seeing that all eyes were fixed on him.

"Heh. You look incredibly convincing as a woman. Who would have known that my greatest rival could be so feminine? Aniki. Close your mouth. You're drooling." Kirihara Akaya snorted with disgust at his brother.

It was Momoshiro who had unwittingly started the chaos.

"So…Echizen is doing a bridal theme?"

Two heartbeats later, Fuji and Kikumaru were running for their lives from a very embarrassed, very livid Echizen.

"You two made me wear this on purpose, didn't you?!" The usually cool and calm Echizen was now imitating a 'burning' Kawamura.

"Hoi hoi! How is it that he's able to do a one-foot split step while wearing that gown?" Kikumaru was laughing as he ran. This was fun!

"Saa…whatever it is, it's best if he doesn't get his hands on us." Fuji chuckled.

"Settle down, you three. Enough with all the running around. Now then, with the three of you dressed as princesses, you will each get yourselves a prince."

"Yadda. I'm changing." Ryoma retorted. He was feeling severely uncomfortable with all the stares he was getting, and his father was not making it any better, as the samurai was snapping away.

"Ore-sama did mention that you're all to remain in costume for one whole hour. It's best if you cooperate." He gave a snap of his fingers, and some very nasty looking men in black had marched into view.

The three victims twitched. Fuji was the one to move first. "Well then, Atobe. Since this is your idea, you'll be my prince then."

Perhaps, anyone of Fuji's male fan club might have been extremely happy to hear this sentence. Not anyone in this room though, as Fuji's smile promised absolute torture for the chosen 'prince'. Atobe twitched. His event backfired!

Before Atobe could impose a special 'I'm-the-host-so-I'm-not-eligible-for-this-event' rule, Fuji had seized Atobe's hand and dragged him off stage. Everyone could hear Fuji's evil chuckles as Fuji left with the diva, and they shuddered.

Kikumaru bounced off to Oishi. No surprise there. "I'll choose Oishi then. Golden Pair forever!"

Ryoma was the only one left without a partner. He shuffled on his feet awkwardly, his golden gaze darting around for an escape route. He most certainly didn't want have any part of this crazy game. It was too mortifying.

The Kanto High captain stood up at that moment. All the others knew about his and Ryoma's relationship anyway, so he knew what they were expecting. He strode over and held out a hand to Ryoma, who took it gratefully. Gently, he led his 'princess' off the stage.

"I wonder if I should start a tradition between Rikkai captains as well, so that we'd be close too." Kirihara Akaya stated thoughtfully.

"Please don't." Kirihara Akira shuddered.

The two captains stood together in perfect contrast- Tezuka's black tux against Echizen's white gown. As much as Ryoma loved being with his boyfriend like this, he was feeling severely uncomfortable with all the attention they were getting. He caught a few whistles, but couldn't identify who they belonged to. If he could, he'd make sure he kicked their butt at tennis later.

"Could you stop that already, oyaji?" Ryoma scowled as the samurai was now snapping a few pictures at close range, and the flash was going off in the black-green haired captain's face.

Nanjirou grinned. "Your mother is going to love this. She kept saying that you wouldn't look good in a dress when you get older, and forbade me to dress you up after you turned five. Hah! I'm going to prove her wrong."

"You're NOT going to be dressing me up, oyaji." Ryoma warned.

Nanjirou shrugged. "Who knows. By the way, heads up, Tezuka-kun."

Tezuka looked up, and saw some mistletoe hanging above both he and Ryoma. He frowned, having read enough books in his life to know the significance of it.

"It's not Christmas, Nanjirou-san." He said flatly. He had a gut feeling that Nanjirou was the culprit behind this.

Nanjirou grinned. "Isn't it alright? I'm giving you the permission to do that."

"No." Tezuka replied flatly. He was a very private person, and while his relationship with Ryoma was already public knowledge amongst their friends, he still preferred to keep some things to themselves.

"Just a quick one will do. Rinko had wanted some pictures. Or we can settle this with a tennis match?"

Tezuka twitched. He would never hear the end of it from the samurai. 'Fine!' Tezuka thought. He bent down and gave Ryoma a very swift kiss, a very quick, blink-and-you'll-miss-it kiss.

A few of the tennis players who had been watching eagerly burst out with stifled chuckles, all still trying to be as quiet as possible least they provoked Tezuka's wrath. It was Kirihara who had laughed the hardest.

"Omg! Poor Echizen! He was forced to be kissed by a guy!" the Devil Kirihara clutched his sides and continued laughing, amused by how his rival had turned a shade of crimson.

Everyone stared at the younger Kirihara with slight pity at his ignorance. 'If only he knew…'

XXX

Meanwhile, Atobe smirked from where he stood, watching the wooden couple in amusement as they were literally being match made by their friends and Nanjirou.

This was the actual reason he had sent an invitation card to Echizen, guaranteeing him a spot in the camp. He knew that there was no better birthday present for Tezuka than Echizen's presence, and it looked like Tezuka was enjoying himself, no matter how reluctant he was at showing it.

"All going according to your plan, Atobe?" The tensai asked knowingly.

"Aa. Ore-sama's plans are always flawless. Be awed by my ingenuity." He declared in a tone overloaded with pride.

Fuji smiled. "Indeed. Now then, since you're my prince, I believe it's your duty to make the 'princess' happy, and I'd be very glad if you could finish this drink for me."

He held up Inui's concoction, though by the rapidly changing colours, Atobe could guess that the tensai had added in his own ingredients too. Oh yes, hell was only just beginning for Atobe.

There was a brief distraction as Ryoma yelled suddenly. "Enough! I'm changing out of this."

Atobe took the chance to yell back. "While you're at it, Echizen. You can try out that other gown in the dressing room, the more revealing one which should give us a better view of your shoulders, your legs and your abdominal area."

Echizen had no sooner left the room when Tezuka had turned around and walked swiftly away too.

"Where are you going to, Tezuka?" Oishi asked.

Tezuka didn't reply, as he quickened his steps and promptly fled from the place. Kirihara was the one to speak up next.

"Why is he covering his nose?"

'Ah.' Everyone understood immediately, though none of them enlightened the devil Kirihara. Atobe merely yelled after Tezuka. "Make sure you don't dirty that suit. You won't be able to pay for it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tezuka's self-control was…at that moment, at very dangerously low levels. Never had his perfectly collected self been so challenged before, first by Ryoma wearing that extremely beautiful gown, then by the mental image Atobe had managed to jam into his head.

For the staunch traditionalist, he immediately did what his old-fashioned mind could think of to prevent any 'accidents' that might occur between them – Tezuka avoided the person of his affections.

"I can't help feeling sorry for Echizen…" Yamato stated at seeing Tezuka flee from the room whenever Ryoma was anywhere in sight. The Kanto High captain was avoiding his boyfriend like the plague, and the black-green haired junior high captain was looking both confused and hurt.

"Did ochibi offend Tezuka?" Kikumaru asked.

"Saa…" Oishi had no idea about that. Inui, on the other hand, flipped through his notebook and jotted down a few more words.

"He's doing exactly as I have calculated. Don't forget that Tezuka comes from a very conservative family, so he's probably panicking now that he's feeling…urm…extremely vulnerable." The data master explained.

Kirihara Akaya was snickering nearby. "Tezuka-san is probably embarrassed that he was forced to kiss a guy. This is just too funny!" He could use this to tease Echizen for years to come.

"I agree. Tezuka-kun is really fun to bully. If those three can look like that in dresses, I wonder about…" Nanjirou turned his lecherous gaze to Yukimura, and the others followed suit, all presumably trying to picture the blue-haired boy in a dress.

Sanada placed himself before his boyfriend protectively. "Don't even think about it." He warned.

It was a good few hours before Tezuka managed to get his guard back up (and unnecessary thoughts out of his head at the same time). However, when he went to look for Ryoma, the junior high captain seemed to be repaying the favour of Tezuka ignoring him just now. Ryoma paid full attention to his pampered cat, whilst giving Tezuka the silent treatment.

"Now I feel sorry for Tezuka-kun…" Yamato stated.

Ryoma ignored his boyfriend's attempts to talk to him, as he was still offended by Tezuka's actions. The boy had activated full brat mode as he spent the day watching the rest of the performances, and grooming his cat, not saying even one word to his boyfriend.

"Those two really have to do something about their social life…" Atobe sighed. Their people skills were really mada mada, and Atobe was wondering if something went wrong with his party planning. This was not in his script for the birthday party, and he couldn't help feeling that he might have gone overboard with the crossdressing event. He did not intend to throw the worst birthday party for the Kanto High captain, as that would hurt his pride as an Atobe.

Their closest friends watched on worriedly as Ryoma continued to ignore Tezuka. Even when the whole birthday event was over, Ryoma still hadn't lightened up. They could only hope for the best tomorrow.

XXX

Nanjirou really had gone to their room again that night. The sleeping arrangements couldn't be discussed though, considering one of the two pillars wasn't speaking.

Ryoma continued with his silent treatment. At Tezuka's questioning glance as to where Ryoma was going to be sleeping (since Nanjirou took Ryoma's bed), the black-green haired captain scooped Karupin into his arms and set him on Tezuka's bed before climbing in himself, though he turned his back to Tezuka.

The Kanto High captain got the message. 'I'm sleeping here, and I'm still not going to be speaking to you so don't try.'

Tezuka massaged his head. His boyfriend was cute when bratty, but at times like this, Tezuka did have the urge to strangle him. He understood that Ryoma would speak to him when he was in a better mood, and decided to leave him alone for the moment. The brunette made sure to keep to one side of the bed, so that he wouldn't provoke Ryoma's wrath.

One thing about sleeping in the same room as the samurai Nanjirou, however, was that the nights would surely be cold. Literally.

For some reason, the samurai seemed to like setting the air-conditioning system to full power, and soon enough, the room was turned into an ice box.

Ryoma was less tolerant to cold, and he began shivering in the middle of the night. The Seigaku captain subconsciously hugged his Himalayan cat tighter to himself in an attempt to draw warmth from the feline.

Karupin loved its master dearly, but as Ryoma tightened his hold on the furball for the third time that night, it seemed to know that it would be squeezed to death even before the sun rose. The cat wriggled out of Ryoma's grasp and leapt silently off the bed, deciding to settle for the floor instead.

With his source of warmth gone, Ryoma's shivering became worse, as he curled into a ball under the covers.

Tezuka was awakened in the middle of the night. He frowned and glanced towards his boyfriend's side of the bed, and nearly started when he couldn't find his boyfriend anywhere. He took a careful look and noticed a quivering lump under the blankets. Drawing the sheets away slightly, he saw how tightly Ryoma was curled up and realized that the Seigaku captain was freezing.

Without hesitation, the Kanto High captain wrapped his arms around the younger boy and drew him closer. Using one hand, he tucked the blankets tighter around the both of them, while his other hand kept its hold on Ryoma.

The heat radiating from Tezuka's body was comfortable, and Ryoma stopped shivering eventually. He snuggled closer towards the new source of warmth and gave a soft sigh before dropping off further to dreamland.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nanjirou had to give the Kanto High captain credit for how he treated Ryoma. The samurai took sadistic pleasure in trying to test Tezuka's limits, and somehow, the Kanto High captain was passing all of his tests. Ryoma couldn't have found himself a more perfect boyfriend.

He threw a glance at his son. On the other hand, his Ryoma was an overly egoistic brat! The Seigaku captain, perhaps due to his incredibly strong sense of pride, seemed to be resuming his silent war from yesterday. He still poured all his affections to his cat, whilst giving Tezuka the cold shoulder.

It was such a pity Tezuka had already left the room by the time Ryoma had awakened that morning, and the Seigaku captain didn't know what his boyfriend had done for him during the night. Just watching the two fools waltz around each other, it was definitely giving Echizen senior a headache.

He decided that he would help the Kanto High captain. Just this once. Taking a chance after breakfast, Nanjirou kidnapped Karupin from the room, deciding to move the cat to another room temporarily until Ryoma reconciled with his boyfriend.

Alas, the cat leapt out of his arms just when he was still walking around to find a suitable location for it, and the feline bounded off before Nanjirou could catch it back. He raced after the cat, but soon lost sight of it completely. Why on earth did Atobe's mansion have to be this huge?

Nanjirou was rooted to the spot for a while. Ryoma would not be happy at all if he knew that his cat was missing. He glanced around. No sign of any witnesses. With that, he placed his hands behind his head and walked off, whistling innocently.

XXX

Kaidou was going around the mansion in a jog. He wouldn't miss any of his daily trainings just because they were at a camp.

He stopped at the gardens to take a short break. As he did some exercises under one of the trees to cool down a little, a meow got his attention, and he glanced up.

Echizen's Himalayan cat was perched on one of the branches, staring down at him with its cerulean blue eyes. It gave another meow when it noticed him staring, and Kaidou gave a delighted hiss in reply. Already, his weakness for cute animals was taking over.

He glanced around. Strange. Wasn't this pet usually inseparable from its master? He didn't see Echizen anywhere.

Well, it was a stroke of luck for him them. He made clucking noises with his tongue, trying to get the cat off the tree.

XXX

Tezuka too was walking around the gardens around the same time, feeling slightly gloomy that his beloved Ryoma wasn't speaking to him.

He heard soft laughter nearby, and went over to have a closer look. To his surprise, he found Kaidou happily playing with Ryoma's bratty cat. What was Karupin doing here anyway?

A sudden thought came into his mind. If his rival in love was preoccupied here, that would mean his Ryoma was free from distractions, wouldn't it?

With that, he headed back into the mansion to look for his boyfriend.

He heard Ryoma calling out for his lost cat, and followed the source of the voice, finding his boyfriend easily.

Ryoma pulled his cap lower when he spotted Tezuka, though the expression on his face said: 'I'm not angry at you anymore. I just want to be a brat.'

"I was thinking of having a round of tennis. Care to join me?" Tezuka asked.

"Yadda." Ryoma replied stubbornly.

Tezuka gave a shrug. "I see. I'll look for Kirihara (Akaya) then. He was hoping to challenge me for quite a while now."

He turned around and walked off. Not surprisingly, Ryoma tagged along not too long later. "Fine. I'll play against you. You'd better be prepared."

Tezuka had to hide his grin. Mission accomplished. Bratty Ryoma was definitely easier to tackle without his cat around as a distraction. He'd have to thank Kaidou later.

"Let's go." Tezuka led Ryoma to the tennis courts.

XXX

Kaidou gave a soft, happy hiss to himself, feeling extremely cheerful now that he was finally able to play with the adorable cat. There was a faint hint of pink on both his cheeks as he walked back to his room, trying his best to not put a skip in each of his step.

Just before him, coming in the opposite direction, was Tezuka Kunimitsu, and Kaidou tensed immediately at the sight of the stoic captain. Tezuka wasn't going to punish him for playing with Echizen's cat now, was he?

"Tezuka-buchou." He greeted politely, giving a slight bow to the senior.

Unknown to Kaidou, Tezuka too was in a jolly good mood. After several rounds of tennis, Ryoma had let off most of his steam and was speaking to him again. Tezuka heard Kaidou's greeting and looked up, spotting his benefactor.

"This is for you." Tezuka handed the snake shot player a can of isotonic drink and continued on his way.

Needless to say, the mamushi was left rooted to the spot, completely confused.

"Fsssssh???"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

On the second last day, Nanjirou had finally given the order for an inter-room competition.

Needless to say, all of them were looking forward to this practice. It even caused Oishi and Kirihara a whole sleepless night.

Well, actually, their insomnia was caused by a whole night of worrying. Not to mention it wasn't helping that Momo and Kaidou's room was on their right, while Sanada and Atobe's room was on their left. Throughout the whole night, the motherhen pair could hear arguments from both sides, and these arguments usually restarted in the mornings.

That morning, the explosion in room five seemed to be worse than usual.

"What do you think you're doing to ore-sama's prized possessions?!" Atobe demanded. He had (finally) stepped out of the bathroom only to find Sanada taking down all of his glorious portraits from the wall.

The cap-wearing boy had finally had enough. When Atobe had first entered the room, he immediately decorated the place with his portraits and little golden figurines of himself. All the glitter was causing him to not have a decent night's rest, and his patience finally wore thin.

"Enough of all these nonsense! I'm taking all these rubbish down!"

"Don't call ore-sama's portraits as rubbish. Ore-sama will always be a hundred times better looking than you, so you had better just resign to your fate." Even as Sanada was taking down all the portraits, Atobe was trying to put them all back up.

Sanada's glare could have killed any normal human on the spot. Unfortunately, it had barely any effect on the diva. "All these trash are preventing me from getting my sleep, and I will tolerate no more of this."

"If you're that particular about this, just wear a blindfold." Atobe retorted.

He gave a gasp when Sanada attempted to throw one of the larger figurines out of the window. "Not that one! That's my favourite, as it shows all of ore-sama's features in full glory. Give that back!" He made to wrestle the item out of Sanada's grasp.

Somehow, that caused Sanada to lose his balance, and he toppled over, bringing Atobe down with him.

At that precise moment, the door opened, and a blue-haired boy poked his head in.

"Genichirou. I ran out of toothpaste, so I was wondering if I may borrow…" His voice trailed off at the scene before him.

His boyfriend and the diva were both on the floor, with Sanada on top of Atobe. Both were frozen on the spot when they saw Yukimura.

For a moment, Yukimura's expression was blank. After a while, a smile appeared on his face. "Ah. I seem to have interrupted something. Excuse me."

SLAM!

"Yukimura!" Sanada sprang up and raced after his boyfriend, who marched up the stairs without even a backwards glance.

The blue-haired boy was so upset that he didn't notice Ryoma coming out of room 9. The black-green haired captain yawned, still in a half-asleep state.

It was a good thing Tezuka spotted danger first, and pulled Ryoma back into the room just moments before Yukimura strode past them, sparing Ryoma from a nasty collision.

Both of them watched as Sanada charged past. "Yukimura! You're mistaken! Seiichi!"

"What was that about?" Ryoma wondered aloud, turning to his boyfriend.

Tezuka frowned. "Saa. Must have been overly excited for the practice later, I guess."

XXX

Initially, there was supposed to be a bit of trouble with the arrangement of the groups, considering there were nine rooms, so it was a bit difficult to make the rooms face each other in pairs.

That problem was solved, however, when Kirihara Akira went to check on his brother again that morning, only to find Inui trying to feed the junior high Rikkai captain a muffin. The older brother once more sacrificed himself for his younger sibling, putting the motherhen captain out of the competitions. Without a doubles partner, Oishi couldn't compete too, and so, there were exactly eight rooms left.

Everything was decided by the drawing of lots. Nanjirou pulled out two slips of paper from the box.

Nanjirou read the first slip of paper. "Alright. The first pair to compete. Room five."

Both Sanada and Atobe stepped into the courts.

"And room nine." Nanjirou read out the second piece of paper.

Both Tezuka and Ryoma stepped into the courts. Instantly, snickers could be heard.

"Goodness. While those two are super powerful in Singles, they're going to be completely pulverized by Sanada-san and Atobe-san." Momoshiro grinned.

Kikumaru nodded. "That's right, that's right. Those two are hopeless at doubles. Remember the last time Tezuka paired with you in Doubles, Inui?"

The data master adjusted his glasses and flipped through his notebook. "Aa. Tezuka instructed me to serve and move out of the courts, turning it completely into a Singles match against Chitose. At least I collected a lot of good data from that though, so I'm not complaining."

"Echizen's no better. He rushes around in the courts like a bull gone mad; you would have a headache being his doubles partner." Momoshiro stated. He hated to admit it, but the baka mamushi played way better doubles than his best friend Echizen did.

The dunk smash player turned his attention back to the courts. "Now then. Let's see how this Seafood Couple would perform."

Everyone blinked at him. "Seafood? Why Seafood?" Asakawa asked.

Momoshiro scratched his head. "Well…Tezuka-buchou's favourite food is grilled eel, while Echizen's is grilled fish. Aren't those seafood?"

Kikumaru looked highly amused with that. "Hoi hoi! You're right. Let's see how the Seafood Couple gets grilled then."

The audience couldn't have been more wrong…

Apparently, the two worst doubles players turned out to be one of the best doubles partners there was in the tennis world.

The both of them knew each other's moves so well; they could actually create chance balls for the other. Also, their play styles coordinated perfectly, and not once were there any faults or collisions between them.

"Goodness…those two could actually play doubles after all." Oishi stated, looking surprised.

Ryoma smirked. "Mada mada dane." He smashed, scoring another point.

Atobe ran a hand through his hair. "Are you trying to challenge me? Don't forget that I'm the king. You should be awed by ore-sama's beautiful skills."

"Try scoring against us first before you start talking, Mr. King of the Monkeys." Ryoma taunted.

Atobe snorted. If this brat was trying to challenge him, very well then.

In the next round, Sanada used the invisible serve. Tezuka left it to Ryoma to return the shot, since Ryoma was the one with the better motion vision.

Somehow, the two from room five had managed to trick Ryoma into hitting a lob. Immediately, Atobe hit a smash.

In an attempt to deflect the shot, Ryoma tried to move his hand away, but it seemed that Atobe had mis-aimed as well, and the ball hit Ryoma on the wrist, causing him to give a yelp of pain.

Sanada then leapt up and did the second smash, scoring a point.

"Tango To Destruction. Ore-tachi No Bigi Ni Yoi Na." Atobe gloated.

(A/N: Be awed by our magnificence)

The next moment, they seemed to have sensed a burning aura of anger from Tezuka. The Kanto High captain's glasses flashed violently.

'You hurt my Ryoma. You're both going to pay…' Tezuka's expressionless face was still able to convey this message.

The Kanto High captain had gone into monster mode, and even Sanada was having trouble returning the shots.

"You fool! Why did you have to provoke Tezuka?" Sanada snapped at Atobe.

"Ore-sama did nothing of that sort. It must have been your smash." The diva snapped back.

"You hit Echizen's wrist with your terrible aim. Now you've induced Tezuka's wrath!"

Needless to say, Tezuka and Echizen won the game, 6 games to 3. The audience learnt a valuable lesson from this – Anyone who causes harm to Ryoma in front of Tezuka will surely suffer…

The battle went on between the rooms, and in the end, it was the Seafood Couple against the Dream Pair.

"Hoi hoi! You won't be able to score past me, ochibi."

"We'll see about that, Kikumaru-senpai." Ryoma attempted to hit Tezuka's Zero Shiki.

Unfortunately, as Inui had stated before, Ryoma lowered his racket too much, and Fuji was able to see that. The tensai returned the ball over the net before it could even touch the ground.

"Too bad, Echizen." Fuji smiled.

Ryoma merely smirked in reply. "Mada mada dane, Fuji-senpai."

The drop shot was a decoy, and the next moment, Tezuka had fired a smash at a corner.

It turned out that Ryoma wasn't the only one setting a trap. The Dream Pair did too, as Kikumaru returned the shot with his acrobatic play.

"Two can play the same game." Ryoma used acrobatic play too. He had been practicing with it after finding out he had some talent in it last year, and now he has been able to grasp the skill quite well.

The match went on for quite a while, with neither side giving in. When Ryoma fired a smash, Fuji countered immediately with Higuma Otoshi. Tezuka then returned with another smash, and was countered with the same skill.

Once more Ryoma smashed. This time, he added a spin to the ball in a style that was similar to the twist spin smash. When Fuji returned the shot, the ball flew out of the courts.

"Game and match, won by, Tezuka-Echizen pair, 6 games to 4." Oishi announced.

Ryoma gave his boyfriend a high five. "Nice one, Kunimitsu."

"Aa." They shook Kikumaru and Fuji's hands.

"You're both very serious, even though it's only a practice match." Fuji chuckled.

"Yudan Sezu Ni Ikkou." Tezuka gave the usual reply.

Kikumaru patted Ryoma on the head. "Keep up this effort, ochibi, and make sure you win the Nationals."

The Seigaku captain adjusted his cap, a small smirk on his face. "Usu."

XXX

It was finally time for all of them to leave. Nanjirou and Karupin had left first in one of Atobe's limousines, while the rest still had to do a doubles check on their belongings, as well as to have a headcount first.

"Time has passed so fast. I'm going to miss this place. Ne, Echizen?" Momoshiro asked.

"Usu." Ryoma replied.

Atobe smirked. "If you get down on your knees and beg, ore-sama will gladly invite you to this mansion again."

"Yadda." Ryoma turned away arrogantly. All of them watched as the Rikkai players left in their bus first. Throughout the entire duration of the camp, they had miraculously managed to keep Kirihara Akaya away from two things.

1. The Devil Kirihara never found out about Tezuka and Echizen's actual relationship.

2. The Devil Kirihara had not touched any of Inui's creations.

The Kanto High and Seigaku players would be sharing the same bus, and currently, all of them waited as Atobe made the final checks for any damages done to his mansion.

Once Atobe was satisfied that his mansion was still fine, he gave the signal for all of them to board the vehicle.

"This trip really was a lot of fun. Yosh! Next stop, the Nationals! Make sure all of you win the competitions too." Kikumaru chirped.

"We'll do our best. Victory will surely be ours. Right, Haruka-chan?" The optimistic player stated confidently.

The Chessmaster gave a very slight nod in reply. That caused the happy-go-lucky player to give a happy cheer. "You agreed with me. This is the first time you actually agreed with onii-chan! I'm so happy!"

"Oni-chan…" Takahiro corrected.

Fuji gave a soft chuckle. "Saa…it's best if you keep your voices down. _They're_ sleeping."

All eyes turned to the two silent ones at the back of the bus. Both of them dozed quietly, leaning against each other. Echizen's head was resting on Tezuka's shoulder.

"I think they were happy with the camp too." Fuji smiled.

"That's of course. Ore-sama's plans never go wrong." Atobe boasted.

Several of them watched the sleeping pair. "They're kinda cute when they're together like this. Ne, Fuji, might you be taking a picture?" Kikumaru asked.

"Of course, Eiji." Fuji whipped out his camera and took a shot.

Right at that moment, Ryoma shifted slightly in his sleep. "20 laps…"

"50 laps…" Tezuka murmured.

For the rest of the journey back, K-High and Seigaku members alike remained quietly in their seats…

To be continued…

A/N: Finally finished the chapters about the camp! Yay!

Next stop, Nationals! Chapter 20 of Echizen, Our Buchou will be updated alongside the next chapter of this fic. Will take me a while to type though. The competitions always take the most time, and it's not helping that assignments are pouring in around now.

Kinda worried for Tezuka after seeing chapter 350 of the manga. Poor Tezuka…::sobs:: When would that baka Ryoma finally make it for the Nationals…

**Please Read and Review. No Flames Please.**

**-Gwyn**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. Otherwise I might do a Bishonens-For-Hire business. (grins)**

**Warning: May contain spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. Be warned that this chapter will be very, very long. -.-**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, Sanada X Yukimura**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 20 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: So sorry this took such a long time. Was rather busy the past few weeks.

Note that italics indicate flashbacks.

**forbiddenstars**, **NBKitty**, glad you liked it. So sorry for the late update.

**alaine**, oh yes. Ryoma should dress up as a girl more often. (Ignores the glare from Seigaku captain). I did not mention it in my previous chapter, but don't worry about Sanada and Yukimura. The latter is not the type to hold grudges anyway.

**Quill**, nope. I didn't mix up on Akaya and Akira. Akaya, oblivious to Tezuka and Ryoma's actual relationship, commented that Rikkai should start a tradition so that the new captain and the former captain will be close too, but Akira, knowing their relationship, thought that what Akaya meant was to turn all the captains gay, so he said, "Please don't."

**HEIDI**, ehehe. yeah. It's better if Ryoma is left alone before Tezuka comes for our necks. Ah well. An oblivious Kirihara is cute, isn't he?

**Ellie**, I agree. If every junior high tennis player was gay, who's left for us females.

As mentioned in the main fic, I'm breaking the Nationals down into two parts. Otherwise you'd fall asleep in front of the pc before you can finish reading it, as this chapter looks like it's going to be long.

Please note that my two stories are still under hiatus, meaning I'm going to be taking my time typing them. In fact, I'm supposed to be doing assignments at the moment, actually. Bad Gwyn. :p

Here is part 1 of the Nationals.

To the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 23 (Nationals, Part One)

It was early morning when a grey-haired boy stepped out of his bed, still fully clad in his silk pajamas.

The boy gave a snap of his fingers, and the doors to his room opened immediately to admit two maids, who entered the room and gave a curtsy. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Keigo-bocchama."

The two then moved forward to hand him his uniform before stepping back, their heads slightly bowed and their hands clasped before their laps in a gesture of humbleness. The young master of the house proceeded to wash up before walking out of the bathroom and extending his hand in another signal. Immediately, the two maids came forward to perform their tasks. One helped him put on his jersey, while the other gave him a dash of cologne.

After he was all dressed and ready, he next proceeded to the dining hall, where at least five butlers stood waiting. As he walked to his seat, all of them proceeded to give him a bow, and one helped him pull his chair out before pushing it back in once he was seated, one served his drink, the other served his food and another two stood on either side of him, fanning him like a king.

When even breakfast had been done with, Atobe made to move out of the house. Watari stood just next to the door, and handed Atobe his racket once the diva walked over. "Have a safe journey, Keigo-bocchama."

The doors were thrown open, and Atobe was immediately greeted with the sight of all the non-regulars gathered within the compound of his house. He raised a hand.

"All of you. Follow me to the Nationals."

He snapped his fingers, and instantly cheers erupted from all of his supporters.

Amidst the cheers, Atobe boarded his limousine, a small smirk on his face.

Finally, this day had come.

XXX

Around the same time, a certain spectacles-wearing brunette got on the bus and walked over to one of the seats before sitting down.

He remained quiet, with one hand rested in his lap, and the other keeping a secure hold on his tennis bag. It was the one seated next to him who had initiated the conversation.

"It's today, Tezuka." Oishi said softly.

"Aa." The Kanto High captain didn't show any expression on his face, but he was feeling excited. The Nationals, every high school tennis player's dream. They had made it once more to this competition.

It wasn't just excitement he was feeling, but slight worry too, as his thoughts went to a certain black-green haired junior. From what Ryoma had told him, he was still unable to reopen the door, and the boy had to give up any other attempts to reopen it. He would need his full strength for the Nationals after all.

"Ohayou, Tezuka-kun, Oishi-kun." A voice said behind them, making Oishi jump.

Oishi placed a hand to his heart. "Don't do that, Yamato-senpai."

The former Seigaku captain laughed. "Ah gomen, gomen. The excitement has caused me to lose my head a little. The Nationals. Not once have I given up the hopes of being able to participate in this. Thanks to you, Tezuka-kun, this dream is realized."

Tezuka shook his head. "It's everyone's efforts that had allowed us to make it this far, not just mine alone."

Yamato chuckled. "If you say so. You've really become a great pillar of support for the team, Tezuka-kun."

"Arigatou." Tezuka replied curtly.

"Speaking of the Nationals, it really is such a coincidence that the date and venue of the competitions are the same for both the senior high and junior high groups. This hasn't happened in a very long time." Oishi stated.

Yamato nodded. "True. Not once during my time in junior high or senior high did this happen. The Nationals usually took place at the same stadium, but the dates would be different. I can't wait to see how Seigaku is faring now. Don't you, Tezuka-kun?"

Both Yamato and Oishi shared a knowing grin, but Tezuka didn't take the bait, as his face remained expressionless. Still, he was looking forward to meeting up with the junior high group later.

XXX

Tezuka and his teammates met up at the competition grounds sometime around 9.30. The only member who had yet to arrive was their pompous vice-captain. Heck, even the usually tardy coach was here already.

"I hope he won't be late." Oishi was pacing on the spot worriedly.

His doubles partner poked him in the face. "Oishi. Don't worry, don't worry. We still have plenty of time before registration is closed."

"10 minutes is not a lot of time!" Oishi protested.

Yamato patted him on the arm. "Now now. Calm down, Oishi-kun. I'm sure Atobe wouldn't miss this competition."

"Aa. He's almost here already." Tezuka stated.

"Hoi? I don't see him anywhere." Kikumaru stated, glancing around.

A few moments later, the acrobatic player understood how Tezuka knew Atobe was on his way here. In fact, all of them could hear him and his cheering squad even from where they stood.

"Atobe! Atobe! Atobe!" It certainly was an impressive sight for everyone to behold. One grey-haired boy leading a whole team of flag waving, banner wielding club members. The diva was even waving to all the outsiders regally, smirking at all the mesmerized onlookers.

When the entire entourage stopped before Tezuka, the Kanto High captain had only one thing to say.

"You're slow."

Atobe ran a hand through his hair. "Ore-sama will have to take my time when it comes to grooming my beautiful looks, so of course I'd be late. You don't have to be jealous just because your looks are nowhere near ore-sama's. Be awed by my handsomeness."

Tezuka's eyes literally shot flames, but before he could assign Atobe laps till sundown, Oishi had begun jittering nervously on the spot.

"Tezuka, we're running out of time!"

Tezuka shot Atobe an 'I'll-deal-with-you-later' look before turning to face all his members.

"Yosh. It's the Nationals now. We will aim for the championship. Minna, yudan sezu nii ikkou."

With that, Tezuka led his team over to the counter. "Kanto High School, here with 8 regulars."

XXX

Now that they had registered, all they had to do was to wait for the lineup, which was customary when it came to the Nationals. This round, since both junior high and senior high groups were competing in the same stadium, the junior high members too were joining them during the lineup.

They headed over to the west side of the stadium, which was where the junior high student were doing their registration. Kikumaru was the first to spot Seigaku, his eyes picking out their blue and white uniforms easily.

"Hoi hoi! I see Momo-chan and the others. Why is Momo-chan pacing around like that anyway? Ah. There's ochibi!" The acrobatic player nudged Tezuka in the side, giving him a meaningful grin.

Strangely, there was no reaction from Tezuka, as he looked neither delighted nor pleased at seeing the cap-wearing boy.

"What's wrong, Tezuka? The both of you weren't involved in a quarrel again, were you?" Oishi asked, concerned.

Tezuka frowned. "That's not Ryoma."

"Eh?"

Kikumaru didn't seem to believe him, as he bounced over and took the cap-wearing boy in his usual death grip. "Ochibi!!!" It would be a wonder if the junior high player didn't get deaf from Kikumaru yelling into his ear.

Surely enough, it wasn't Ryoma's voice they heard, but Horio's. "Kikumaru-senpai! Can't breathe…!"

"Hoi? You're not ochibi!" Kikumaru realized his mistake and immediately let go.

"That's what Tezuka said, Eiji." Oishi sighed.

"Are? Tezuka-buchou's eyesight is now better than Kikumaru-senpai's? How did you know I wasn't Echizen-buchou?" Horio asked in confusion.

Tezuka said nothing, giving a slight frown at the question. 'As if I can't even recognize my own boyfriend.' He thought.

Their coach spotted Ryusaki-sensei and attempted to slink off unnoticed. Unfortunately, she spotted him and called out to him. "Oh? And what would you be doing with them, Nanjirou?"

'Perhaps it was not too late yet? Maybe she hasn't spotted me?' Nanjirou thought as he whipped out his trusty sunglasses from his robes and hurriedly put them on. He used his falsetto to make his voice sound different. "I'm not Nanjirou. I don't know any Nanjirou's."

Ryusaki had, not surprisingly, looked unconvinced. "Come on, Nanjirou. Who are you trying to kid. You've used that far too often, and it's never worked on me anyway."

She had a point. Nanjirou made a mental note to use a wig as his disguise next time. Ah well, he was caught anyway, so the glasses would have no use now. He pulled off the item and gave the hag a challenging stare.

"I'm their coach, of course, Ryusaki baba."

The Seigaku coach's eyebrows shot up. "How strange. Even after I've made a request for you to be a coach before, you have never accepted any of my requests. How did you become the coach for that team then?"

'Thank Ryoma for this. I can't believe my own son blackmailed me into becoming the coach for his boyfriend's team.' Nanjirou thought darkly.

He could still remember that fateful day months ago.

"_Oyaji. I need you to become the coach for Kanto High School." Ryoma stated suddenly after dinner one day._

"_Why should I" Nanjirou asked disinterestedly as he flipped to another page of his magazine._

_Ryoma gave his father a calm stare. "Otherwise, I'd never play against you again."_

_Rip…_

_Nanjirou gaped at his son through the huge hole (he tore accidentally) in the magazine. No. It took him so long before he finally found an opponent who was at least up to his level. Ryoma wouldn't…he couldn't…!_

"_Ah. Also, I'd be arranging for a replacement since I won't be playing against you anymore. How do you feel about playing against one of my club members…say…Horio Satoshi?"_

Nanjirou shuddered from the memory. Ryoma had mentioned about that fellow a lot of times, and from what Nanjirou had heard, he could probably play against this 'Horio' while sitting down and reading one of his magazines. No! He'd die of boredom if Ryoma really stopped playing against him!

It was a good thing he was saved by the announcements before that hag throttled an answer out of him. Frankly speaking, he was running out of excuses when it came to that Ryusaki-baba.

"Would all teams now make their way to the dome stadium for the lineup? The opening ceremony for the Nationals will commence shortly."

"Let's go, everyone. Don't let your guard down." Tezuka said sternly, and everyone echoed their assent.

He led everyone to the stadium, but he had only taken a few steps when something collided painfully into his back.

Turning around, he realized that it was his boyfriend who had done so.

"Ryoma..."

The Seigaku captain lifted his cap at his name called, and golden eyes widened when they caught sight of him. Tezuka frowned, disappointment evident in his gaze. Why was Ryoma this late?

Seigaku's vice-captain rolled up his sleeves, looking as if he was preparing to give the captain a piece of his mind. It was a good thing Ryusaki had managed to dissuade him from the idea, and Tezuka silently thanked her in his heart.

Ryoma relieved Horio from the latter's position as 'captain', and Tezuka could have sworn that the one with three years of tennis experience was looking highly thankful. For the rest of the trip to the stadium, Tezuka noticed that his boyfriend avoided his gaze, his body language indicating that Ryoma was afraid that Tezuka would scold him for his lateness, and was doing his best to keep his distance from the older captain.

Tezuka caught Momoshiro's gaze and beckoned for him to walk over. The Kanto High captain deliberately slowed his steps, putting a small distance between him and the others. The Seigaku vice-captain fell in step next to him. "You called, Tezuka-buchou?"

"Aa. Please make Ryoma a reserve." Tezuka stated.

Momoshiro blinked at the captain. "He's not going to be happy if he hears you say that. Why are you making this request?"

Tezuka's gaze was fixed on the Seigaku captain for a while. "I don't think he's in a condition to play today. I have a faint idea as to why he was late, and if my guess is correct, I doubt he'd have much energy to be competing." He had a feeling the Seigaku captain must have been practicing till late yesterday, even though Tezuka had advised him against it, knowing that Ryoma would need his full strength for the competitions. Then again, his bratty boyfriend was known to disregard advice anyway.

Momoshiro shrugged. "If you say so."

"Also, if there is any trouble that arises, I would wish to be informed." Tezuka added.

Momoshiro understood that what Tezuka meant was if anyone tried to harm Ryoma, fetch him.

The both of them quickened their pace to rejoin the group. Before they got in line, Tezuka gave his boyfriend a gentle squeeze on his shoulder for encouragement before walking off. He didn't show it on his face, but inwardly he smiled as he managed to get a glimpse of Ryoma's grateful expression.

Once his team got in line with the other senior high groups, Tezuka silently hoped that everything would go well during the competitions.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The opponents this round weren't as tough as last year's, it seemed. K-High breezed through most of the matches, and before they knew it, they had now made it to the semi-finals.

Before them was Shitenhouji High, and Tezuka caught a few familiar faces. Of course, Tachibana Kippei and Senri Chitose were amongst the players too.

"Let's have a good game." Shitenhouji's captain, third-year Izumo Shori said as he extended his hand.

"Aa." Tezuka shook it, and both returned to their respective teammates.

"Minna, yudan sezu ni ikkou!" Tezuka gave his usual catchphrase. It was finally time for the matches.

XXX

Several of the Seigaku members had joined the K-High regulars as audience, since their match had already ended.

Momoshiro and Kaidou stood on either side of Oishi, as the motherhen deliberately placed himself between them to diffuse any arguments which might occur. Ryoma, of course, was with Tezuka. The junior high captain was now observing Shitenhouji's Singles 3 representative-Kuranosuke.

Fuji adjusted the grip on his racket, trying to calm his mind at the same time. At the moment, the tension was quite high for Fuji, since his was the first match, and would be very critical for his team. Also…

Fuji's eyes opened, the pair of blue diamonds gazing coldly at the former Shitenhouji captain. This was the player who had given him his first ever loss in an official match. Fuji had never lost to anyone before, even though all these times he was only treating tennis matches like a game, and was never serious. Just when he had finally played a match seriously, Shiraishi had ended up beating him. Till now, it was a lesson he still remembered.

Once the announcement for Singles 3 was given, Fuji stood up and headed over to the courts. "Ganbatte, Fuji-senpai." Ryoma stated suddenly. The prodigy kept a steady gaze on Shiraishi, frowning ever so slightly.

Fuji allowed his eyes to return to slits once more, as he pasted a smile on his face, not wishing for any of his teammates to worry for him. "Arigatou, Echizen."

He headed down to the courts and stood by the net, waiting for Shiraishi to enter the courts too. The former Shitenhouji captain shook Fuji's hand. "It looks like we're about to face each other again. Let's play a good match, Fuji."

"Indeed. Let's play without any regrets." Fuji replied.

Fuji was to serve first. His eyes opened to reveal hard blue diamonds as he used his Disappearing Serve.

Just like last year, Shiraishi returned it in one single hit, and Fuji had no choice but to draw the game out as a rally instead.

Shiraishi was known for his playstyle- Perfect Tennis. He mastered all the basics of tennis, creating moves that were simple yet extremely precise, leaving no loopholes for even the Kanto High tensai to manipulate.

Perhaps because of the pressure on Fuji at being the first player to begin the matches for today, or perhaps the memory of last year's defeat still lingered in his mind, Shiraishi had very quickly scored the first two games, meeting very little resistance from Fuji's part.

"Hey, hey. What's wrong, Fuji. You had put up even more of a fight last year. I would have thought that you'd improve this round. Perhaps I might be wrong?" Shiraishi stated calmly.

Fuji was running out of breath even though the match had only just started. It was getting increasingly difficult for him to not start panicking, even though that word was supposed to be absent from his dictionary. It wasn't as if he hadn't wanted to make his counterattack. He just _couldn't_! Shiraishi was so thorough with all his returns that he made sure not a single shot of his could be used to form the quadruple counters.

Fuji took a deep breath to calm himself down. There was no way he would lose this match. Not again. He used the Disappearing Serve once more.

Again, Shiraishi returned it. In the few seconds he took to return Fuji's serve, the perfect tennis player had already spotted an unguarded spot and fired a shot, scoring another point. "Mm. Ecstasy." He said, looking rather pleased with himself.

The cheers became louder from Shitenhouji's supporters. It was rare for the well-known tensai to be involved in such a one-sided match, and already, the Shitenhouji players were quite sure of victory being on their side.

On the other hand, the Kanto High cheering squad had gone silent, their jaws slack. Atobe gave a snort. "What do you all think you're doing?" He scolded them. He gave a snap of his fingers, and immediately the cheers erupted from Kanto High's side.

"Fuji! Fuji! Fuji!..."

Ryoma turned towards Tezuka slightly. "Ne, Kunimitsu. Do you think history will repeat itself in this match?"

Tezuka frowned. "I do not know. I believe Fuji would be able to pull through this. He evolves in every match after all."

Ryoma smirked in reply. "That's true. Fuji-senpai is mada mada dane compared to me, but he is very difficult to defeat."

All eyes turned back to the tensai, who was bouncing the ball on the ground for his next serve. The genius seemed to be deep in contemplation as he stared at the ball for a moment. After a while, he served again, and to everyone's dismay (and Shiraishi's amusement), it was once more the Disappearing Serve.

"You really don't give up at all now, do you?" Shiraishi returned the shot.

It was only after the ball had flown over the net did he realize that he had fallen into a trap, for Fuji smiled and got into a rather familiar looking pose.

"Quadruple counter- Houou Gaeshi (Pheonix Return)!" He used the upgraded version of Tsubamae Gaeshi, which falls to the ground at a faster rate, making it nearly impossible to return.

Shiraishi stared at the shot for a while before turning back to Fuji. "Heh. Not bad. You've added a spin to that serve beforehand, tricking me into hitting a high spin return which gives you the chance of using the Phoenix Return, haven't you? Looks like you're getting serious."

Fuji managed to defend his service game this round. When it was Shiraishi's turn to serve, Fuji added another spin to the ball, and when Shiraishi tried to return it, the ball ended up flying upwards in a graceful arc before hitting the baseline. "Oh? Is this Hakugei (White Whale) or Hakuryu (White Dragon)?" Shiraishi wondered aloud.

He had his answer when the ball flew off sharply towards the side, towards the audience, and Atobe caught it neatly in his hand. Hakuryu, the upgraded version of Hakugei. Unlike the former triple counter, Hakuryu did not return the ball to Fuji, making it more difficult for the opponents to return the shots.

The game was at 2 all now. Shiraishi gave a soft chuckle, wiping the sweat away from his forehead. "Now this match is getting interesting. Mm, ecstasy…" He braced himself for Fuji's serve. This round, when Fuji added a spin to the ball, Shiraishi cancelled it out almost immediately before aiming at one of Fuji's blind corners.

Fuji spun around mid court and managed to dash over and return the shot, not without difficulty though, as Shiraishi's shots were very swift. Shiraishi tried again, aiming for a different corner this round, and once more, Fuji was there already to return the shot.

"Fuji-senpai…how is it that he's moving so fast?" Momoshiro wondered aloud.

"He's been practicing. A lot." Fuji's doubles partner spoke up. Asakawa kept his gaze on the tensai. Fuji had requested for the speedy player to jog with him every evening for the past two months. It was the tensai's way of training his speed, as Fuji had set a goal that he wouldn't stop running until Asakawa did, and considering Asakawa's stamina level, needless to say Fuji had a very hard time catching up.

"_Are you sure you want to do this, Fuji? I've been on the track team for a long time, and my stamina was built up gradually. However, with you forcing yourself like this…" Asakawa asked worriedly. He deliberately slowed down a little so that Fuji could jog alongside him._

_Fuji was completely out of breath, but his determination blazed in his eyes. "Kantarou. It's not just my stamina which I want to train, but my speed as well. There's no time for me to do a full training, and I want to increase my speed, even if only a little. I may have to face __**that**__ guy again in one of the later matches. The last time, I was unable to return many of his shots because I couldn't reach them in time. In fact, I couldn't even react fast enough when all my counters were defeated. I will not repeat the same mistake again."_

_The tensai turned to his doubles partner. "Let's continue on."_

_Asakawa sighed. "Honestly. And I thought our captain was the stubborn one. Very well then. Don't overexert yourself though. If you can't take the practice, be sure to give a yell and I'll stop running." With that, they began their jog once more._

"Game, Fuji, 3 games to 2."

Fuji braced himself for Shiraishi's next serve. Shiraishi gave a slight smile. "Are you sure you're able to continue this for long? You look exhausted."

"You'll only have one way to find out then, won't you?" Fuji threw back the challenge,

Shiraishi served, and this round, when Fuji hit a return, Shiraishi deliberately hit a ball with topspin.

"Quadruple counter, Houou Gaeshi." Fuji hit his counter.

To his surprise, instead of dropping to the ground and gliding to the end of the court, the ball glided a little and bounced, right before Shiraishi, who returned it in a single hit.

Fuji gaped. That couldn't be right! His Phoenix return was perfect, so what was going on?

Fuji tried again, and once more, Shiraishi returned it. In fact, Shiraishi was bold enough to challenge Fuji to use Hakuryu again, and when Fuji did, the ball had once more returned to Shiraishi instead of flying off towards the side.

It was after Shiraishi had baited Fuji into hitting Kirin Drop, the upgraded version of Higuma Otoshi, that Fuji realizes where the problem was.

"Is it Tezuka Zone?" Oishi asked.

"No." Tezuka replied. Everyone looked confused at that.

Ryoma decided to be the one to explain. "It's not the Tezuka Zone. He's running all over the place instead of staying put at one spot, so there's no way that's the Tezuka Zone. Fuji-senpai's opponent has been adding a counter spin to the return before he hits it over, and because the shot is so fast, Fuji-senpai hasn't realized yet that all the spins are in the reverse direction. That is why all his counters are failing."

Everyone shuddered. "Perfect tennis is scary. There's no way I'd ever want him as my opponent." Kikumaru stated.

Ryoma gave a smirk. "I would though." He said arrogantly.

Tezuka sighed and tapped Ryoma on the head. "You'd want to challenge any strong player, that's for sure."

Meanwhile, Fuji was at the losing edge this round as he no longer had the three counters to fall back on. In just one more game, he'd be beaten by Shiraishi. Again.

"To make me play to this extent, I'd have to applaud you. However, you've forgotten that these are my quadruple counters. I've not run out of counters yet." Fuji added a superspin to the ball before returning it.

When Shiraishi attempted to hit a return, the shot hit the net.

"Final counter-Hecatoncheires no Monban (Gatekeeper of Hecatoncheires)." Fuji declared.

With this counter, any return of Shiraishi's, be it a lob, a smash or even just a normal return, all the shots will be rendered useless, and will not even go over the net.

"6 games all. Tie-break!"

"Whoa! Fuji's last counter has revived! Go, Gatekeeper of…can't pronounce that thing…" Momoshiro stated sheepishly.

"Hecatoncheires. It's in Greek." Atobe stated.

"Ah. Yes. That one. Still can't pronounce it though. Why would Fuji-senpai be using a Greek name for his counter? He must have been hanging out with you far too often, Atobe-san. Fuji-senpai's really strong. Odd though, I'd have expected Shiraishi-san to be able to return that thing. He's broken through this counter before after all. Are? Echizen, you're looking a little pale. Are you alright?" Momoshiro had noticed his captain's condition.

Ryoma's golden eyes were wide as his gaze fixed on Fuji's counter. Apparently he wasn't the only one. Kikumaru and Atobe wore similar expressions on their face as Ryoma did.

"Echizen?" Momoshiro waved a hand in front of him.

Tezuka frowned, placing a hand on Ryoma's shoulder as he gave the younger captain a concerned look. "Ryoma?"

The prodigy swallowed. "Fuji-senpai…tripled the amount of super spin on the ball. Shiraishi-san wouldn't be able to return it even if he wanted to." The others weren't able to see it, but the three with the best eyesight could see the effects of the counter clearly. Every time Fuji used Gatekeeper, they could see the strain it had on his wrist.

"Tripled? That's suicide! Already the super spin puts a lot of burden on his wrist, by tripling it…" Momoshiro gaped.

Asakawa shuddered. "You're really overdoing it, Fuji." He muttered to himself. He turned to the others and gave a reassuring smile. "I'm sure it'd be alright. Fuji would only have to win 6 points and he'd win the tie-break, so he would only be using this skill for a short while. Besides, in order to counter Fuji's Gate, Shiraishi would have to do a reverse spin six times stronger than the spin Fuji put on the ball, and I don't think he'd be so foolish to do…"

Shiraishi managed to get the shot over the net at that moment, bringing the tie-break to a draw.

"…that…" Asakawa's words died off.

"It looks like I've broken through your counter again, Fuji Syuusuke." Shiraishi stated.

"We'll see how long you'd be able to last with that. The burden on your wrist will be way higher than the burden on mine. If you continue on with this, you'd be the one to lose." Fuji's sadistic side was finally showing.

"You'll only have one way to find out then, won't you?" Shiraishi used the words Fuji had said earlier on.

Both of them stubbornly defended their service games, to the point that the referee was bemoaning his fate for always having to deal with extra long tie-breaks. (He was the one who refereed for Atobe and Ryoma's match last year, and that tie-break was enough to give him nightmares)

At long last, Shiraishi's wrist gave out as his racket fell to the ground. An instant cheer came from K-High's supporters. It was Fuji's turn to serve again.

The K-High tensai threw the ball up into the air. He would win this.

To everyone's surprise, the ball fell to the ground with a soft thump. It was Fuji's racket that went flying over the net instead as he lost his grip.

Fuji was holding his wrist. 'My hand…I can't feel my hand…'

Nanjirou stood up at that moment. "Referee. These two will not be able to continue on anymore. Call the scores."

"I can still go on, Nanjirou-san." Fuji stated stubbornly.

Nanjirou shook his head. "You can still go on…as if. It's better if you stop now. Your wrist is overburdened. Any more and you can kiss tennis goodbye for good. Hear this old man's advice, Fuji. I've seen plenty of pros having to give up tennis because of injuries, and they usually will regret it for the rest of their lives."

Fuji was about to protest again when Atobe stood up. "If you're still insisting on continuing on with the match, then I'm afraid ore-sama will have to use authority. Fuji. As vice-captain I am giving orders for you to give up this match."

"Atobe!" Fuji's eyes blazed.

Tezuka shook his head. "You did well, Fuji. Leave the rest to us."

Fuji glanced down at his hand, which had gone completely numb after the tie-break. His head bowed. "I'm sorry, minna. I've lost again."

"You didn't lose, Fuji-senpai. It's a draw." Ryoma pointed out.

Fuji said nothing for a while. After some time, he plastered his familiar smile on his face. The young pillar of strength was trying to console him. "If you put it that way, Echizen. Very well then. I'll concede the match."

It was up to Doubles 2 now, and both Oishi and Kikumaru stood up.

"Leave it to us nya, Fuji. We will get back the game for you." Kikumaru chirped.

Fuji smiled at his best friend. "Arigatou, Eiji."

XXX

The representatives for Doubles 2 were yet another pair of familiar faces. In fact, Kikumaru spotted them, pointed and exclaimed…

"Whoa! It's the gay pair!"

"Eiji! It's not good to point at them like that. Eto…forgot your names though…" Oishi said sheepishly.

The two Shitenhouji players, possibly the only male-male couple who were dating openly in the high school tennis world, were strangely unaffected by Kikumaru's exclamation. The one with nearly bald head and glasses pointed at his doubles partner. "My darling here is Hitouji Yuuji, and I'm Konjiki Koharu. Yoroshiku. Why don't you and your boyfriend introduce yourselves too?"

"Hoi? Oishi and I are not boyfriends. We're just very good friends." Kikumaru corrected them immediately, while Oishi went red at being addressed as his doubles partner's boyfriend.

"Oh? I thought that the Golden Pair is one of the most famous couples amongst the schools? In fact, according to my data, you were crying when he couldn't be your partner during the Nationals last year, and you refused to play in doubles because of it. Am I not right?" Konjiki Koharu stated casually.

His statement caused Kikumaru to turn red and splutter. "That…that's because I cooperate best with Oishi. We're the Golden Pair after all."

Hitouji seemed to be studying Kikumaru. "Well, if you're still single…hmm…you're kind of cute…" The Shitenhouji bandanna-wearing half of the pair couldn't finish his sentence, for Konjiki had pulled his ear.

"You're not thinking of cheating on me, are you?!" He asked dangerously.

"Of course not, Ko-chan." Hitouji said quickly.

Kikumaru had hid himself behind Oishi. "Let's…let's just start the match, shall we?" Oishi laughed weakly.

As the match kicked off, Ryoma turned to his vice-captain and his green-bandanna wearing senpai. "Ne. You two still alive?"

The two junior high third years were suffering from a severe attack of homophobia thanks to the two Shitenhouji players. Both of them looked like they were about to be sick as memories of last year returned to their minds. Back then, they were the ones facing the gay pair. Kaidou shuddered as he recalled being molested by Konjiki last year, as the baldy had goosed him from behind.

"With the way those two Shitenhouji players are acting, they make you and Echizen seem straight. Right, Tezuka?" Atobe smirked.

"Ceh. What's the point of me molesting buchou in public?" Ryoma stated bluntly.

Tezuka gave a soft cough, blushing slightly at his boyfriend's tactlessness. The others gaped at Echizen, while Momoshiro and Kaidou looked like they were about to hurl as more mental images bombarded their minds.

"Don't come near me, Echizen. My tolerance towards homos is extremely low right now…" Momoshiro muttered, inching away.

Ryoma gave a soft snort and turned back to the match. Both sides were nearly equal, though the Golden Pair looked to be stronger as Oishi scored again.

"Nice one, Eiji. Yosh, let's keep this up and win the game." Oishi said.

"Of course." Kikumaru tapped his racket against Oishi's.

"Nice one, Eiji. Yosh, let's keep this up and win the game." Now it wasn't Oishi's voice saying this.

The Golden Pair turned to the Shitenhouji pair and found the bandanna wearing half of the pair mimicking Oishi's moves. In fact, currently he was posing exactly as Oishi was, with his hand holding his racket by his side, and his left hand placed on his doubles partner's shoulder.

"Ah. I remember now. He did that last year, when that copycat used all of mamushi's moves!" Momoshiro seemed to have revived a little.

Kaidou gave a soft hiss. "That guy doesn't just copy your skill. He copies your personality as well. Oishi-senpai will have to be playing against himself. Fsshh…"

If it wasn't bad enough with Oishi playing against his clone, Kikumaru's moves were sealed by Konjiki.

"There is a 100 percent chance that Kikumaru will be moving to the right now. Ah. There he goes." The data player, who has even more data than even Inui Sadaharu, hit a return towards the spot which was now unoccupied.

The next moment, however, Kikumaru had used his sealed steps, creating two more illusions of himself. The acrobatic player hit the return back. "That's easy. Kikumaru Beam!"

To his surprise, Hitouji returned it almost immediately. "You're still unable to beat me yet, Eiji." Even the way he spoke was perfectly alike Oishi's.

That sentence caused the acrobatic player to be stunned for a while. True, Oishi was one of the few who could see through his moves. In fact, till this day, Eiji had yet to win against his doubles partner. With Hitouji as Oishi, and the data player monitoring all their moves, would they be able to win?

"Eiji!" Kikumaru snapped out of his daze at the actual Oishi's yell.

Oishi managed to cover for his doubles partner, and Kikumaru moved to cover for him. "The chances of Kikumaru going to the front, 99 percent."

"Hoi!" Kikumaru used his net play.

"The chances of scoring, 100 percent!" Konjiki fired towards the right.

"It's all yours, Oishi." Kikumaru grinned.

His doubles partner used Moon Volley, scoring a point.

"Sorry to say, we've even played against a pair of very troublesome data masters before, so we've had enough experience against data tennis." Oishi stated.

The two Shitenhouji players exchanged looks. "He's right, you know. These two had actually gone against Rikkai's data pair before." Hitouji said quietly.

"So we have no choice but to use _that_?" Konjiki turned to face the Golden Pair. "I've heard of the two of you being able to do this as well, but according to my data, there's no way you can win against us. You can't control this skill after all."

Both of the Shitenhouji players began playing as if they could read each other's minds. Instantly, the Golden Pair was on the losing edge as they were no match against the strongest skill of doubles.

"Synchro…" Oishi gasped out. He threw a sideglance at Kikumaru. The acrobatic player's stamina had increased drastically all these months, but as the gay pair had tricked the redheaded player into doing most of the saves, it was not a wonder that Kikumaru was now even more drained of energy than Oishi himself was.

Oishi gritted his teeth. They would have to believe in their own strength. The chance would present itself eventually. It was only a matter of time.

However, it seemed that time was something that the both of them didn't have. It was at match point already, with Shitenhouji leading.

"We did it, Ko-chan!"

"Let's celebrate it later at my place, Yuu-chan!" Both of them hugged each other and did a victory dance.

Kikumaru was completely out of breath as he stared at the other two.

"I don't want to lose. There is no way we can lose here, Oishi…"

The minute Konjiki served, it happened…

A burst of aura erupted around the Golden Pair, linking them physically and mentally. They had finally managed to enter the state of synchro, now that they were in a pinch.

"Oh dear. Well, we're equal now." The next moment, the Golden Pair had already scored past them.

"What?" That shot seemed to have taken them by surprise.

Atobe gave a chuckle. "Well, those two may not realize it, but ore-sama believe that the Golden Pair's version of Synchro is far stronger than the other team's. This should be interesting. Right, Tezuka?"

"Aa."

Both Oishi and Kikumaru's moves were so synchronized now, their formation was literally flawless. In fact, when they used even their usual Australian formation, the other pair was unable to find a weakness with it.

The Shitenhouji pair was unable to score even a point after that, and the match went to Oishi and Kikumaru, 7 games to 5.

By the time the Golden Pair blinked and came out of their trance, they realized that the match has ended, and their supporters were cheering.

"Hoi? Who won?" Kikumaru asked, confused.

"I'd have to say that it's us." Oishi chuckled at seeing all the cheers.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the net, the gay pair seemed to be bickering.

"We've lost again! I've had it! I want a divorce!!!" Konjiki stormed off.

"Kon-chan!!!" Hitouji dashed after him, causing the Golden Pair to sweatdrop at the drama.

"I can't help feeling glad that at least ochibi-chan and Tezuka don't act like this…" Kikumaru stated.

"I agree to that full heartedly." Oishi answered.

XXX

Kira won Singles 2, so now K-High had two games in their hands already. It was all down to Doubles 2. Everyone waited with bated breath for the match to start.

When the two representatives for Kanto High walked down towards the courts, however, whispers broke out amongst everyone.

"OMG…"

"This has got to be a nightmare. This most certainly is a nightmare…"

"Those two…can play doubles…?"

The referee cleared his throat and announced the next match. "Doubles 2 will be commencing shortly. From Shitenhouji High, Tachibana-Chitose pair, from Kanto High School, Tezuka-Atobe pair."

"It…it really is them after all…" Shitenhouji and K-High players alike stared in horror at the K-High captain-vice captain doubles combination.

Atobe lifted his hand, and instantly cheers erupted from his cheering squad.

"Atobe! Atobe! Atobe!"

He then gave a wave of his hand, and the cheer changed.

"The winner is Atobe, the loser is Tezuka, the winner is Atobe, the loser is Tezuka…"

"Atobe. In case you haven't noticed, I'm your doubles partner." Tezuka stated dryly.

Atobe lifted an elegant eyebrow at that. "Ore-sama doesn't have doubles partners." He said arrogantly before he continued enjoying the cheers, while Tezuka was shaking slightly with rage behind him.

"We're doomed…why on earth did Tezuka come up with this combination in the first place…?" Asakawa groaned.

Yamato patted him on the shoulder. "He has to consider the strength of the opponents as well, and it would seem that only he and Atobe will stand a chance against those two."

Atobe snapped at that moment and threw his jacket into the air. Tezuka wisely sidestepped, and the jacket landed harmlessly on the spot Tezuka was on just now.

"Ore da!" He declaration was met with the usual cheers.

Chitose and Tachibana shook their hands. "As flashy as usual, Atobe."

"That's of course. Right, Tezuka?" Atobe received no answer from the wooden block.

Just at that moment, Chitose's sister, Miyuki bounced over to where the Kanto High regulars stood, so that she'd be closer to the courts.

"Thief brother! Ganbatte!" She cheered.

Chitose snorted. "Man. Shouldn't she be cheering for her own brother instead of someone else? She must be really attached to you, Tezuka." Chitose teased.

Tezuka glanced at Miyuki, then shifted his gaze towards his boyfriend, who was standing a few feet from her. The Seigaku captain had his arms folded, and traces of jealousy were written all over his face, though he hid it well under his cap.

The Kanto High captain sighed. Not again…

"How rare for you to be so friendly to someone else, Tezuka. Ore-sama wonders if you've suddenly decided to open up and become a more sociable person, or perhaps…that girl reminds you of a certain Seigaku captain?"

Tezuka twitched slightly. Jackpot.

_Tezuka was jogging in the park as usual one evening. It has been a while since he came to Kyuushu for rehabilitation, and his team was always on his mind, even if none of them had come to visit him._

_As he jogged past one of the benches, a red racket caught his attention, and he slowed down before coming to a halt. That racket couldn't possibly belong to…_

_He picked up the racket and studied it. Nope. It was not __**his**__. The initial R was not at the base of the handle. This one had the letter 'M' at the handle instead. As he stared at the racket, catlike golden eyes flashed through his mind. Now he was starting to miss Tokyo a lot. He couldn't help wondering what his young Pillar of Seigaku might be doing at that moment. Probably practicing, or probably resting under a tree while sipping on Ponta._

_He began hitting some shots against the wall, feeling rather glad that his shoulder had at least healed quite nicely. If he was lucky, he might even make it back to the Nationals in time._

"_Give me back my racket, you racket thief!" A loud yell caused him to nearly jump. He looked up and found a cap-wearing girl hanging from one of the branches of the nearest tree._

_The girl leapt to the ground gracefully and stormed up to him. "Give that back!" She repeated angrily. Tezuka gave an apology and did so._

_She was much shorter than he was, probably still in elementary school, and she had a lot of skill in tennis. In fact, the way she taunted about his skills being weak was strangely similar to another arrogant brat whom he knew._

_Tezuka found himself having the instinctive urge to protect her, since she reminded Tezuka so much of __**him**__. Later, when some bullies picked on her, Tezuka ended up beating them to pulp at tennis. That incident must have gotten her to be quite attached to him, and they formed a friendship because of it._

Now, however… Tezuka was wondering how would he ever be able to explain to Ryoma about his friendship with Miyuki. He became fast friends with that girl because she reminded him of Ryoma…it was too embarrassing for him to admit that to his boyfriend.

"Oi, Tezuka. Get your head back to the match." Atobe gave a soft snort of laughter.

"Aa." It was Tezuka's serve, and he stared at the opponents. He concentrated all his power to his left hand, activating the Pinnacle of Hard Work. On the other side of the net, a soft aura surrounded Chitose as the Shitenhouji player activated the Pinnacle of Great Wisdom.

"It's the battle of the Pinnacles again. This is going to be messy…" Momoshiro sighed.

"It's alright. The Pinnacle of Great Wisdom is less effective in a Doubles match." Ryoma said quietly.

Chitose placed a hand under his chin. "My, my. You've gotten stronger, Tezuka. To score a point against you, I'd need…50 shots!"

Tezuka served, and the game between the two sides began. The Shitenhouji audience eagerly counted aloud as every shot was made, while the Kanto High supporters snickered at them. Much to all their surprise, however, Tezuka missed the 50th shot, which was aimed at his blind spot, and Chitose scored a point.

Momoshiro turned to his captain. "Less effective in a Doubles match, you were saying?"

That was a definite lie. Not a single one of Chitose's Absolute Predictions went wrong, though the numbers did get higher and higher, from 50 shots to 150 shots as Tezuka brought his guard up. Well, even if it took forever to score a point from the Kanto High captain, the Great Wisdom player fought on relentlessly, spurred on by his humiliating defeat to Tezuka last year.

This round, it looked like the humiliation was on the Kanto High pair. Tezuka and Atobe made such _incredible_ doubles partners; it was like a cat being a mouse's partner, though who was the cat and who was the mouse, it had yet to be decided.

The first game was lost. The second now began with Tachibana's serve, and this round, Atobe raced after the shots.

"Leave it to me, Tezuka. You may stand at a corner there and marvel at ore-sama's beautiful skills." Atobe told him.

Tezuka's frown deepened. "Atobe!"

"You've lost the last game. It's better if ore-sama take over this round." Just as Atobe had stated, he went offensive, not giving Tezuka any chance to return the shot.

Strangely, Chitose didn't bother using his skill, and allowed Tachibana to intercept Atobe's shots. Tachibana used his lion smash, and when Atobe attempted to use Higuma Otoshi, his racket ended up being knocked out of his hands instead.

Two games lost, and still counting. This round, both Atobe and Tezuka played offensive. Whoever got to the shot first would return it. Needless to say, this was getting to be one of the messiest matches ever, not so much on the battle of the Pinnacles, but more to their doubles combinations.

Amongst the audience, other doubles players like the Golden Pair and Fuji-Asakawa pair were wincing visibly at their two club leaders' horrible performance. Despite their lack of collaboration, the two Kanto High players were holding their ground pretty well thanks to their skills and experiences from previous matches.

Oddly, perhaps due to Atobe's oversized pride or Tezuka's reflexes, there had not been a single collision between them so far. Both of them somehow managed to dodge out of the way when they were in danger of turning the other into kebab.

The game was now 3 games to 2. It was back to Tachibana's serve. Atobe moved to challenge Tachibana to a match, and when Tezuka joined in the battle, Chitose had activated Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami once more.

Ryoma blinked. "Now I see…" He murmered.

Momoshiro glanced over. "What is it?"

Ryoma pointed at the two. "With their doubles combination being at that level, it's not Doubles they're playing, but Singles. Chitose's Pinnacle of Great Wisdom is working perfectly as he's only been targeting buchou all these times. Also…I believe he must have improved it during this one year. His Absolute Prediction is nearly flawless now."

The Shitenhouji players pulled ahead again, 4 games to 2. Tezuka wiped at the sweat on his brow. It looked like he didn't have a choice. With that, he activated the Tezuka Zone.

His Hyakuren powered zone was more powerful than his regular one, and all the shots returned to him in an instant. At least with his skill, he was able to draw the match to 4 games all.

Well, Tezuka may have caught up on the points; he had also gotten himself a rather infuriated doubles partner/vice captain.

"Oi! Tezuka! What do you think you're doing hogging all the shots to yourself? Ore-sama demands to have a chance to return the shots too." Atobe protested.

The Kanto High audience couldn't bear to watch on further as the K-High pair's partnership went downhill from there. Several times, they nearly killed each other with the tennis ball. In fact, they have officially dethroned Seigaku's horrendous Ah-Un pair last year.

"This must be called 'like older boyfriend like younger boyfriend'. They have so much in common, it's scary…" Kikumaru made a statement, earning a glare from Ryoma.

They had a short timeout as the two went to their coach. Atobe gave a snap of his fingers, and one of the club members handed him a towel. As for Tezuka, his boyfriend had handed him his towel, which he accepted after giving his thanks.

Nanjirou was laughing so hard, he was literally rolling on the bench.

"If only I had brought my video camera. You should see how the both of you were playing." The former pro teased.

Ryoma gave a snort. "You don't have a video camera, oyaji. Also, at least buchou plays better doubles than you ever did."

"You're not in a position to say that, seishonen." Nanjirou defended himself.

While the father and son pair began bickering, Oishi gave a sigh and walked over to the both of them.

"It's best if the both of you start thinking of formations. Also, when the both of you chase after the ball, you tend to leave one side of the court unguarded." The motherhen told the two.

Atobe gave a snort. "It's Tezuka's fault. He shouldn't intrude over ore-sama's territory."

"You have neglected your side of the court, Atobe. That is why our opponents are scoring." Tezuka chided.

"Calm down nya, you two. You must think of a way to solve this." Kikumaru tried to stop them from starting an argument.

Instantly, both Ryoma and Momoshiro spoke up. "Just split the court into half. The captain will take one half, and the vice-captain will take the other half."

"Definitely not!" The Golden Pair retorted at the same time.

Nanjirou gave a chuckle. "I would have to agree with Oishi-kun and Kikumaru-kun. That's not the way to play doubles. Also, that Chitose boy has been targeting Tezuka, in case you haven't noticed. If you separate the court, he'd be even more vulnerable to the Pinnacle of Great Wisdom."

Before they can discuss this further, the referee instructed the two teams to reenter the courts, and after Tezuka handed his towel back to Ryoma, he did so, with Atobe trailing behind him.

"Tezuka. Ore-sama has thought of a way to deal with those two, and you should listen since ore-sama's plans are always the best."

The Kanto High captain would have loved to tell the diva off for his boasting, but decided against it since they were running out of time, and the other two were already in position.

"Go on." Tezuka said, indicating that he was listening.

Meanwhile, the Shitenhouji players watched on as the Kanto High players had a short moment of discussion. It wasn't long before the two got into position too.

"Now let's see how many shots would it take this round…" Chitose's voice trailed off.

Tachibana turned around slightly. "What's wrong, Senri?"

"……I can't read Tezuka's moves. I can't predict how many shots will it take to score even a point against him. Those two are up to something." Chitose warned.

It didn't take long for them to realize what were the other two up to, for Tezuka and Atobe were both targeting Tachibana.

"Yare yare. That is certainly quite evil of them. This will explain why I couldn't predict his shots. He wasn't intending to play against me anyway. It's going to be hard for you, Kippei." Chitose stated.

"Very well then. If they're issuing a challenge, I'll accept it." A fiery aura surrounded the former Fudoumine captain.

"That's…the state of self-actualization?" Momoshiro asked.

"No. That's not it…not too sure what it is though…" Ryoma said.

Fuji's eyes opened slightly. "Wild Beast Aura…" He said quietly. He would know, since Tachibana had used it against him before in a practice last year.

The tensai continued on, "Tachibana was actually a player with violent tendencies, and believe it or not, he was formerly the same type of player as Kirihara Akaya, one who wouldn't mind inflicting injuries on others, though after he had injured his best friend Chitose last year, he sealed off this aggressive style of playing. This aura- Wild Beast Aura was one of the skills he sealed off. It's something like Taka-san's Burning, and will increase the power to all his other skills."

"Aggressive player huh…" Momoshiro said thoughtfully. He glanced sideways and noticed that Ryoma had turned pale.

The dunk smash player gave a knowing smile and patted his best friend on the shoulder. "Oh don't worry. I'm sure Chitose-san will be able to stop Tachibana-san before he does any real damage, so rest assured that your precious buchou will be quite unharmed."

"He had better be unharmed." Ryoma muttered darkly. He threw a mildly worried glance towards the court, where a battle between four extremely skillful players was raging.

Tachibana's shots were very lethal indeed, and Chitose, knowing that he wasn't Tezuka and Atobe's target, had switched to using Muga no Kyouchi instead of the Pinnacle of Great Wisdom, copying the moves of other tennis players and using them.

Atobe gave a laugh at that. "Oh? Do you honestly think you have a chance against ore-sama with this pitiful state of self-actualization? Know that I'm not affected by this. You'll understand if you had seen ore-sama's match against Echizen last year. Take this, Rondo to Destruction!" He fired his two part smash, scoring a point.

Chitose found himself now being challenged by the arrogant diva, while Tezuka dealt with Tachibana. The Ice Emperor scored the next game with Tannhauser Serve, bringing it to a tie-break.

All four fought to defend their service games. Tezuka used the zero-shiki to score one game, Tachibana then retaliated with Abare Jishi (Wild Lion). Atobe regained the score with Tannhauser Serve and Chitose drew the scores with Kamikakushi during his turn.

It was an all out war zone, and the mismatched Kanto High pair was displaying their lack of cooperation to the fullest. By now, the Golden Pair had long buried their heads somewhere, not wishing to see the disaster going on at the tennis courts.

Chitose was having a hard time predicting their shots, since Atobe tended to pop out just when he least expected it. One advantage of a disastrous pair was that they were very unpredictable.

"Kamikakushi!" Again, Chitose placed a high amount of topspin on the ball, causing it to hop up instantly to give the opponent an impression that the ball had disappeared.

To his surprise, Atobe had leapt up into the air. "My eyes had gotten familiar to this speed when you used it the first time. Ore sama no bigi ni yoi na!" He fired a smash, hitting Chitose on the hand.

As the Pinnacle of Great Wisdom player's racket went flying, Atobe used his Rondo to Destruction, firing a smash.

The next moment, however, Tachibana intercepted the smash just when the ball bounced from the ground. Chitose's eyes widened when Tachibana got into a familiar pose.

"Don't use that! That skill is dangerous!" Chitose yelled, recognizing that as the skill which had hit him in the eye a long time ago.

Unfortunately, the aggressive side of Tachibana had taken over, and he couldn't hear Chitose's warning. He hit the ball with the frame of his racket, causing it to streak over to the other side of the net, towards Tezuka. The Wild Ball was unsealed!

"Buchou!" Ryoma yelled out a warning.

Tezuka activated his Hyakuren, his eyes blazing behind his glasses. He too used the frame of his racket to catch the shot, and using his ability, he returned the shot with twice the power and speed. Before any of them could blink, the ball was already returned over the net, and it was left drilling a hole in the wall.

Nanjirou stood up at that moment, folding his arms inside his robes. "The stronger the opponent, the stronger your ability becomes eh, Tezuka-kun. Ah well. Nothing interesting to see anymore." The coach left just as the referee announced the scores.

"Game and match, won by, Kanto High, Tezuka-Atobe pair. 7 games to 6."

Well, they might have won the match, but they've also gone down in history as the _**worst**_ doubles pair ever.

Both of them had their backs towards each other once they returned to their fellow regulars.

"Ore-sama will never play doubles with you again." Atobe scoffed.

"Aa." Tezuka couldn't agree more.

XXX

The semi-finals was over, and now, as all of them prepared to leave the competition grounds, both Tezuka and Ryoma walked over to take a glance at the boards.

"Let's see. Roshan High won against Higa Chuu, but lost to this school here…" Ryoma read out aloud, tracing the lines with his eyes.

He paused a moment when he saw the other school who had made it into the finals.

"It looks like you'll be facing hell, Kunimitsu." He said, pointing at the board. Kanto High would be facing Rikkai Dai. Again.

"Aa." As both of them turned to leave, they came face to face with no other than two Rikkai regulars themselves- Sanada and Yukimura.

All four of them stood in silence for a few moments, and while the finals would only be held in three days' time, the tension between the four was already very high.

"Tezuka. We will win the finals this round. Prepare yourself!" Sanada declared, throwing the Kanto High captain a look of utter dislike.

"Aa." Tezuka said no more. He didn't need to, as they already could see his silent message. 'Kanto High will put up a fight for the Nationals. The winner will be K-High.'

Ryoma gave a small smile, pulling down his cap to hide his face. "Don't lose to them, Kunimitsu." He said quietly, so that only Tezuka was able to hear him.

"Aa." Tezuka gave his promise.

Ryoma lifted his head and threw Sanada an arrogant smirk. Slowly, the Seigaku captain raised a hand and pointed at the other cap wearing boy.

"Mada mada dane."

::End of Nationals, Part One::

To be continued…

A/N: Again, a thousand apologies for the late update this round. I'm afraid I can't promise a faster update as the assignment period hasn't passed yet.

Chapter 353 of the manga…I am NOT HAPPY with the results! So I'm blissfully ignoring it. Please note that in my fic, Rikkai Dai never fought against Seigaku in the finals last year. As mentioned in one of my earlier chapters, they fought against Shitenhouji instead.

I've gotten lazy with thinking up new names for the schools, so Shitenhouji high school has retained its name. :p

A lot of the matches seem to be turning towards supernatural instead. I couldn't resist typing it. Ohohohoho!

**Please Read and Review. No Flames Please.**

-Gwyn


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. If I did, I'd eradicate both Tomoka and Horio from it.**

**Warning: May contain spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic.**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, Sanada X Yukimura**

**(This chapter tallies with Chapter 21 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: As mentioned, read this chapter after you've read the chapter of Echizen, Our Buchou, or there may be spoilers.

**Quill**, yeah. I'm even more speechless to the ooutcome of the Inui-Kaidou match. What on earth is happening to Seigaku…TT.

**HEIDI**, I think it would have been interesting if we could actually see Tezuka and Atobe playing doubles in the OVA or manga. That would have been disastrous. Pity that's not possible. Sigh… Sure, you can translate them. I don't mind.

**CECI**, hmm…I doubt I'd write a fic mainly on SanadaYukimura. Concentrating on TezuRyo instead. I'm very fond of that couple, but I doubt I can catch SanaYuki's characteristics accurately.

To the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 24 (Nationals, Part Two)

It was the finals. This would be the second time Tezuka participated in this, and at the moment, the excitement from the crowd was contagious, as he could feel it seeping deep inside of him.

Earlier that day, he met up with Ryoma and had a practice match against his boyfriend. The warm-up session proved useful as now his adrenaline was pumping inside his veins.

Currently, the two senior high teams and two junior high teams were having a lineup in the stadium, listening to the opening speech of one of the ministers. Tezuka wasn't listening, for his mind was too preoccupied with the matches later, amongst other things.

He threw a side glance at his opponents. The Rikkai kings stood proudly, with their heads and spirits held high. They exuded an imposing air to everyone who saw them, and were truly a sight to behold.

To his left, Shitenhouji junior high stood with their eyes fixed on the minister. All of them wore the same expression on their face, one that hinted for the minister to hurry up with his speech and allow the finals to commence. Their captain Kintarou was the only one with a different expression, for the redheaded player was yawning openly.

Tezuka directed his gaze further on. To his far left, the Seigaku regulars stood, with Ryoma in front of the line. The Seigaku captain had reached up to pull his cap lower over his eyes, his expression indicating that he was displeased with something.

Tezuka could roughly guess what was on Ryoma's mind. As he recall, Ryoma didn't really like sunlight getting into his eyes, and it looked like it was going to be hot and sunny the whole day. The rays were beating down on them even though it was so early in the morning. Was Autumn supposed to be this hot?

Ryoma threw an occasional side glance at a yawning Kintarou, giving away the second thought on his mind. Ryoma was probably thinking of ways to defeat the Shitenhouji captain later. He was at a severe disadvantage without his Pinnacle.

Tezuka frowned. Ryoma had reassured him that he would be fine, but Tezuka wasn't feeling so optimistic that day. He didn't like the feeling of not being able to protect Ryoma, especially since there was an almost 100 percent chance that the Seigaku captain would have placed himself in Singles 1, against the wild-type player. Just the memory of their match last year was enough to make Tezuka shudder.

The speech finally ended, and the finals commenced. Tezuka's gaze lingered on Ryoma as the Seigaku and Shitenhouji regulars moved to their respective court, which was outside the dome stadium.

He hoped for the best, for both of them.

XXX

"Man. I wish ochibi and the others were competing indoors too." Kikumaru whined.

Oishi patted his doubles partner on the shoulder. "The organizers probably wanted to avoid any distractions between the two groups."

"That's right. If both senior high and junior high groups were playing in the stadium, everyone will be too busy marveling at ore-sama's beautiful skills to actually play a decent game." Atobe said arrogantly.

Kanto High's vice-captain picked up his racket and headed down to the courts. He raised a hand and instantly the crowd exploded with cheers.

"The winner is Kanto High, the loser is Rikkai Dai! The winner is Kanto High, the loser is Rikkai Dai!"

There was a larger cheering squad than usual, as Roshan High was here to watch the matches too, and Atobe's former Hyotei schoolmates were cheering their lungs out.

Kanto High, not wishing to be outdone by Atobe's former cheering squad, raised their voices too, which in turn caused Roshan High to increase the volume of their cheers, and before long it was an all out war zone between the two cheering squads.

Atobe smirked to himself. He had trained them well. He basked in their cheers of "The winner is Atobe, the loser is Sanada, the winner is…"

A snap echoed throughout the stadium. Atobe threw his jersey into the air and gave his hair an elegant brush.

"Ore da!" He held his racket up high.

The crowd promptly went wild. A few V.I.P.s seated at the front couldn't help waving the little Atobe flags some of the fans had distributed to them beforehand.

Atobe strode over to the net, smirking at Sanada, who looked severely unimpressed by Atobe's fans.

"Such a fanciful entrance means nothing, Atobe. You can't defeat me anyway. Don't get arrogant just because your team made it to the finals." Sanada stated sternly.

The former Rikkai Dai vice-captain threw Tezuka a withering glare. "Initially I was hoping to play against your captain, but it looks like he has placed himself as the trump card. I have to deal with the small fry instead."

"We'll see who the small fry is after the match, Sanada." Atobe extended his hand, shook Sanada's hand and let go very quickly in a show of scorn. After it was decided that it was Sanada's serve, Atobe moved to position himself near the baseline.

"You will see that there is a huge gap between our tennis. Prepare yourself, Atobe Keigo!" Sanada used his invisible racket.

Surely enough, the ball flew over so fast, it was barely a blur. Atobe stared at the ball, which had rolled all the way to the end of the court, briefly before turning his attention back to Sanada.

Sanada served again. "I don't even need to go all out in a match against you. Fuahahaha!"

The next moment, to Sanada's surprise, Atobe had returned the shot with ease. K-High's vice captain raised his head up high, as if mocking the cap-wearing boy. "Ore-sama told you, didn't I? We'll see who the small fry is. That shot was very slow."

Sanada served again. Surely enough, Atobe returned it over the net once again. This round, Sanada used the invisible swing to return it. Again, Atobe was able to counter the move.

"Ore sama no bigi ni yoi na." The diva crowed, lifting a hand into the air. He gave a snap, and the crowd began cheering again as the referee announced the scores. 1 game to 0.

Sanada gave a huff. Atobe seemed to have improved. It didn't matter though. He would be digging his own grave with that doubled-edged serve of his.

Surely enough, Atobe used his Tannhauser Serve. There was something different about it this round. It dropped at a faster rate, and glided across the ground with as much grace as Fuji's Phoenix Return. Atobe smirked at the look on Sanada's face.

"What's wrong? Were you hoping to see my arm fail on me? You can keep on waiting then."

Atobe had improved Tannhauser Serve to the point that it was practically impossible to return it. He dominated the first two games without much difficulty.

There was a short time-out session, and Sanada sat at the bench, trying to analyse Atobe's skills in his mind. "Do not touch me." He growled to a few non-regulars who were about to hand him a towel.

Yukimura strode over to him. "Genichirou." He spoke up softly.

Sanada raised his head, acknowledging Yukimura's presence. His blue-haired boyfriend sat next to him.

"You can't afford to use your regular style of tennis against him, Genichirou. As you can see, Atobe has improved tremendously. He has honed his insight to the point that it has rendered your invisible racket and swing useless."

Sanada remained silent as he allowed his boyfriend to talk. Yukimura was a very insightful player, and despite his gentle nature, he could be pretty cunning if he wanted to.

Yukimura turned to Sanada, his gaze calm. "You will have to use your elements."

Sanada had been hoping to reserve that as his trump card, but as his boyfriend had said, he didn't really have a choice. "I understand." Sanada got to his feet. He took his racket from Yukimura and headed back to the courts.

As the next game began, Sanada gave a soft snort to himself. Atobe still had that old weakness of his. He tended to get a swollen ego easily, and after just two games in his favour, the diva was already getting cocky. That would be his downfall then.

Once Atobe had hit a lob, Sanada used one of his elements. "Invade like fire!" He smashed.

The K-High vice-captain was quick to respond with Higuma Otoshi. The diva caught the ball with his racket, but was unable to hit it back as his racket got knocked out of his hands instead.

Atobe stared back at Sanada. So the Emperor has decided to use his elements after all. FuuRinKaaZan, four of his best skills.

"Rikkai Dai will be the champions this round. Quiet like the forest." He neutralized all the spins Atobe had placed on the ball before turning it into a drop shot.

Atobe managed to predict that shot beforehand with his insight and rushed forwards to return it, though the next moment Sanada was at the net, intercepting the lob Atobe had accidentally hit.

To Atobe's surprise, Sanada had hit a shot which knocked the racket out of his hands, and he scored with the next shot.

'He's copied my Rondo to Destruction? Ceh. Ore-sama permits no one to copy my beautiful skills.' Atobe thought angrily.

He blinked as he realized what had just happened. Wait a minute, if Sanada had copied his skill, that would mean…

He noticed the Rikkai player had a familiar aura around him. Apparently he had 'awakened'.

"Know your weakness, Atobe Keigo!" The Emperor used his 'Fire' skill again. This round, however, Atobe was more prepared for the smash and managed to return it over the net with Higuma Otoshi.

"Immovable like a Mountain." Sanada used Atobe's weakness. Once Sanada used this defensive element, Atobe would not manage to score even one point against him.

Sanada's score eventually overtook Atobe's score, 5 games to 3 now and counting. Atobe's eyes narrowed as Sanada drew closer and closer to match point.

"Ceh. I was hoping to reserve this for a better player." Slowly, Atobe raised his racket with his right hand, while he pointed at Sanada with the index finger of his left hand. "Freeze." He gave a clear command.

In Atobe's mind's eye, it was as if a blizzard had rained down on the courts, creating shards of ice around Sanada. Atobe swung his racket and crushed one of the shards, scoring a point effortlessly. All the while it had happened, Sanada really couldn't move at all, as if frozen on the spot.

Sanada's eyes widened, still frozen in place. He glanced down at the spot Atobe had scored. What was that? He couldn't react at all.

The Ice Emperor gave a mocking laugh. "You are no match for ore-sama, peasant. Behold! Koori no Sekai! (World of Ice)"

Sanada frowned. Wasn't this the skill which was used against Echizen last year? So this was its power. He tried again, using Mountain.

Once more, Atobe had pointed at him. "Freeze." He commanded again before scoring. With World of Ice, he caught up with Sanada's scores, and both were now at 5 all. Atobe raised a hand, renewing the cheers around the courts.

Rikkai Dai too were cheering on their player. "Emperor, Emperor, Emperor!"

"It's useless. No one can escape from World of Ice (sans Tezuka and Echizen). Everyone has weaknesses and blind spots they wouldn't be able to overcome even if they wanted to. Every shard of ice represents your blind spot, and I can see them clearly! Fuahahaha!" Atobe struck again with World of Ice.

Sanada scowled. Such a terrible man, Atobe Keigo. He had improved his insight to such a godlike level?

"Your arrogance irks me. You need to be crushed." Sanada used one more of his elements.

Once again, the shards of ice came crashing down around Sanada, and Atobe aimed for one of the shards. "It's over!" He fired a shot.

Sanada gave a snort. He swung his racket and returned the shot to Atobe. "That's not my blind spot. Fool."

Atobe's eyes widened. That couldn't be. He blinked and realized that the shards of ice were shifting around. Wait. They were not supposed to do that.

"Formless like the Shadows." Sanada declared.

Atobe's eyes narrowed. So Sanada was hiding his weaknesses, making it difficult to predict. His World of Ice was overcome?

When it was Atobe's turn to serve, he had to rely once more on his Tannhauser Serve. Sanada reacted immediately, using his element.

"Swift like the Wind!" Before Atobe could even blink, the ball had already shot past him and had flown over to the end of the courts. This was even faster than Sanada's Invisible Swing and Invisible Racket. Atobe's insight might be able to detect it, but he couldn't return it fast enough.

"This is bad. If Atobe loses his service game, it's all over for him!" Kikumaru exclaimed, and Oishi hurriedly shushed him.

The diva had a vein throbbing on his head. 'I know that! You don't have to remind me about it.' He thought, annoyed.

He quickly went through Sanada's skills, making a mental check. Mountain, Fire and Forest. He could deal with them with his Koori no Sekai. However, Shadows was one he couldn't deal with yet, and Wind had taken care of his Tannhauser Serve.

Atobe raised his racket again. "Not bad, Sanada. However, my World of Ice is not defeated yet." His eyes gleamed with arrogance. "Freeze!"

Once more, Sanada used Shadows to cover up his playstyle and his weak points. This round, however, Atobe had used his natural, highly aggressive style of playing, and the shots were making Sanada shudder slightly. He felt as if his surroundings had turned cold.

Sanada used Wind again, and Atobe managed to return it. "What's wrong, Sanada? You're getting slow." The diva taunted.

Sanada blinked. It was as if Atobe had a faint blue aura surrounding him, one which Sanada had never seen before. This wasn't Muga no Kyouchi, which had a more fiery aura. This one was cold, and if Sanada had to describe it, he'd pick 'frosty' as the word. This aura gave him that feeling.

Now he understood. World of Ice. Atobe must have improvised it after his match against Echizen. It didn't just detect the opponents' blind spots. It made Atobe faster too.

Sanada frowned. No. Atobe's speed wasn't increasing. It was his own speed which was decreasing!

"You've got to be kidding! Swift like the Wind!" Sanada used his fastest skill.

Atobe managed to return it. "I've told you already. You're slow."

As time went by, Sanada felt as if his speed was decreasing gradually. In fact, he couldn't even use Shadows fast enough, as once more Atobe returned to hitting his blind spots.

"Genichirou…" Yukimura muttered softly. Atobe was very scary when he played seriously. Yukimura was able to see what was actually going on. Atobe used such a random, inconsistent style of tennis, it was getting Sanada confused with its ever changing styles. Once Sanada was confused, his movements became more hesitant, and his reaction time has decreased too. With Sanada's movements becoming more sluggish, and Atobe maintaining his fast, aggressive playstyle, of course it seemed as if Sanada's speed has 'decreased'.

"Atobe Keigo. You truly deserve to be called the Ice Emperor." Yukimura muttered.

Atobe finished the match by hitting Sanada's racket out of his hands. "This skill should be used by ore-sama alone. Be awed by my magnificent skills. Rondo to Destruction!" He fired a smash.

"Game and match, won by, Atobe Keigo. 7 games to 6!" The referee announced.

Atobe raised both his hands, enjoying the cheers of his supporters. Some of the regulars were cheering too. Tezuka remained silent, though he did give a small, approving nod.

"Now, Sanada. You have lost. Shave your head." Atobe ordered arrogantly.

Sanada frowned. "I don't remember making such a pact with you."

Atobe was about to retort to that when he remembered. That was right. He had forgotten to make a bet with Sanada beforehand. Dang!

He turned around and gave a snort. "Very well. You have escaped this round then. The next time, I will make sure I shave that head of yours personally."

When Atobe had returned to his teammates, Kikumaru was bouncing around him excitedly. "Yay! We won Singles 3!"

Atobe gave a snort. "That's of course. There is no way ore-sama will lose to that poker faced guy. Right, Tezuka?"

Needless to say, the captain didn't reply to that. Instead, he turned to face all his regulars. "We have one game in our favour, but remember that this is the finals. If we're not careful, the opponents will overwhelm us. Minna, yudan sezu ni ikkou."

XXX

They might have won Singles 3, but they were at a severe disadvantage for Doubles 2.

Fuji, whose hand injury from the semi-finals had yet to heal, was made a reserve for the finals. His doubles partner Asakawa had no choice but to pair up with one of the seniors, the third year Kira.

If this weren't the finals, and if the opponents weren't Rikkai Dai, this combination would have been more than enough to defeat above average opponents.

Sadly, the Data Pair could hardly be considered 'above average opponents'. They had long reached the point of near godlike.

"There is a 90 percent chance he would be aiming for my chest." Surely enough, Inui was able to ward off Kira's heart attack skill.

"That speedy player will be aiming for the corner. Watch out for him." Yanagi warned.

There was no way this pair could win against two data masters, and in just 15 minutes into the game, the scores were already 4-0.

Asakawa and Kira were both out of breath. Inui had done his research well, and used a playstyle which forced the speedy player to play a high tension match, sapping his stamina faster than he could recover it.

'Dang…would the results have been different if Fuji were playing instead?' Asakawa couldn't help wondering. Of all the regulars, he considered himself the weakest because of his lack of experience when it came to tennis. Now his worst fears were coming true.

Kira might not really have much special skills, but at least he had the power and the accuracy in each of his shots. As for Asakawa, all he had was his speed. Inui and Yanagi both knew that he had a severe weakness when it came to accuracy, so both deliberately used shots with rather odd angles, and Asakawa tended to misjudge the amount of power he had to put in his returns, resulting in the ball flying out of the courts repeatedly.

"Good work, kyojyu." Inui commented.

"You too, hakase. There is a 100 percent chance we will be able to win this 6-0." Yanagi calculated.

During time-break, Atobe looked like he was about to throw them a cocky comment, but a warning glare from Tezuka silenced him. The two players looked pitifully drained as it was, it wouldn't do for Atobe to add salt to their wounds.

Fuji handed his doubles partner a towel. "Gomen, Kantarou. I was not able to participate in the match this round."

Asakawa shook his head. "It doesn't matter. It's not your fault, Fuji."

Fuji observed the two data players, who were both scribbling into their notebooks, most likely putting down new data.

"To defeat them, you really will have to exceed their data. Why not try a skill they've never seen before?" Fuji suggested, his eyes opening slightly.

Asakawa blinked. "You mean…that skill?"

Fuji's eyes disappeared once more as he smiled. "What was all that training for, if not for the finals?"

When Asakawa and Kira returned to the courts, Yanagi was the one to serve. Asakawa braced himself for the shot.

Once Yanagi served, the two data masters began calculating the shots. They noticed that Asakawa had evacuated a spot by accident.

"There is a chance the speedy player has moved away to allow his partner to cover for him, but there is a 90 percent chance his partner will not manage to cover that spot in time. The chances of scoring are…100 percent!" Inui hit a shot towards the unguarded area.

The next moment, Asakawa was already there. He gave a flick of his wrist, and the shot seemed to have vanished.

Both data masters froze. Before they knew it, the ball had rolled out of the courts.

"This…this doesn't make any sense…" Both data masters said at the same time.

Inui was trying to analyse Asakawa's skill. With him seemingly 'teleporting' right next to the ball, he figured that it had something to do with his speed and agility. Speed type players like Kamio and agile players like Kikumaru could do something similar anyway. But what about that shot?

Inui glanced at Fuji, who was smiling serenely. 'This was your doing, wasn't it?' Inui thought.

"Game, K-High. 1 game to 4." The referee announced.

Asakawa prepared to serve. As he did, he could recall the training he had a few days before.

"_What is it you wish to speak to me about, Fuji?" The redheaded speed-type player asked as both he and Fuji had lunch._

_The tensai smiled. "I wish to repay the favour for you helping me out with my training before the semi-finals."_

_Asakawa gave a snort. "What are you talking about? I don't consider that a favour. We're doubles' partners after all. Kikumaru has always been talking about looking out for one's teammate, so that was precisely what I was doing."_

_Fuji shook his head. "That may be so. However, I don't think I can be your doubles partner in the finals." The tensai stared down at his wrist._

_Asakawa understood. Fuji's hand was injured, and the break between the semi-finals and the finals was too short. Not enough time for Fuji to make a full recovery._

_He sighed. "Well. What do you suggest then?"_

_Fuji took a bite of his wasabi sushi. "I have thought up a skill, and I've been wondering about how effective it might be, as I've only figured out the theoretical aspects of it. For the practical part of this skill, I will need you to test it out."_

_Asakawa raised an eyebrow. If it was a skill even the tensai Fuji wasn't sure of, how would he be able to learn it?_

_Fuji gave a reassuring smile and faced the redhead. "I've not tried this skill because, one, I'm injured. Two, it would require a speed type player."_

_The tensai looked like he was considering the words in his mind, so that he could simplify it for Asakawa. After a while, he spoke up again. "This skill is something like my invisible serve, in other words, an under-spin is required. However, this is a shot used as a return, not a serve like mine. To make it work, you will have to increase the amount of spin on the ball, so that it has an uneven bounce to give it the illusion that it has disappeared."_

_The tensai lifted his racket. "As you probably know, when I want to increase the spins on the ball, I will make the ball roll on the strings of my racket to create the necessary amount of spin, and when I want a superspin, like for my gatekeeper skill, I will use the underside of the racket too. I don't think you're that adept yet at using the underside of the racket, so we'll have to pass on that idea. Instead, use your speed to create enough momentum, and after that, when the ball comes to you in the form of a top spin, you need to use a very quick slice on the ball to force it into a superspin. If the skill is executed properly, the ball will look like it has vanished from their sights."_

_Fuji finished his explanation and straightened up. He gave Asakawa a smile. "Now then, any questions?"_

_Asakawa was staring at him stupidly with his jaw dropped. After a while, the speedy player managed to collect his thoughts back. He raised a hand in the air, like a student having queries for a teacher._

"_Uh…yes. I do have a question. Can you repeat that? Slower this time."_

"Game. K-High. 2 games to 4."

Asakawa panted, feeling completely out of breath. This skill certainly looked effective against them, since they had no data on it. However, it was very taxing on his stamina, especially since he had to run around like that.

On the other side of the net, Inui and Yanagi spoke in soft voices. Probably comparing data. Asakawa had a bad feeling about this.

This round, when Inui and Yanagi hit their returns, they made sure theirs shots were devoid of any spins. Asakawa's eyes narrowed. No wonder even Fuji was mildly intimidated by the data pair. They had already figured out that top spins were part of the skill. Still, the skill would be executed nicely even without top spins. There was something else more important anyway.

"_You did it, Kantarou!" Fuji sounded pleased._

_Asakawa flushed slightly from embarrassment. "It was all thanks to you, Fuji. Without your guidance, I wouldn't be able to learn this skill."_

_Fuji smiled. "You have your speed to thank, Kantarou. With your speed, you can create enough momentum to force the spin into a superspin. Even if the opponent figured it out and removed the top spin from the ball entirely, all you have to do is increase your speed and you'll still be able to use this skill. Remember that this skill had one very critical weakness though. No matter what, you must never lose your…"_

"Momentum." Inui spoke up suddenly.

Asakawa's eyes widened just a little. He had it figured out that fast?

Yanagi cocked his head slightly. "You've noticed too, haven't you, Inui?"

"That the speedy one was increasing his speed? Aa. I've noticed. He was using momentum to add a super spin to the ball when he did a slice. We should have noticed this sooner."

Inui's glasses glinted. "Data will never tell lies." He said calmly.

Asakawa's skill was seen through, and both Inui and Yanagi made sure to reduce the chances of Asakawa running around.

The match was lost. The data pair bagged doubles two, a disastrous 6 games to 2.

Needless to say, the two were in low spirits when they returned to their teammates.

"Good effort, Kantarou." Fuji tried to console him.

Tezuka nodded. "You did well. Leave the rest to us."

Yamato patted both of them on the back. "It doesn't matter if you win or lose. All that matters is if you put all your effort into the game."

The former Seigaku captain picked up his racket. "It looks like it's my turn now."

XXX

It was one win and one loss for K-High. Now it was up to Singles 2.

Yamato strode down towards the courts for the match. He stood there, waiting for his opponent.

Apparently, Rikkai Dai decided to send its captain as the representative for this match, and their supporters cheered as Kirihara Akira stepped into the courts.

"This is the first time I'm seeing you in action." Yamato said cheerfully.

"Ah, yes. The last time all of us played against each other, it was during practice in the camp. Let's have a good match." Akira shook his hand.

As the match kicked off, everyone watched in silence. The Kanto High players were busy observing the Rikkai captain, wondering just what kind of a player was he.

Tezuka was silently making observations. The older Kirihara's playstyle seemed ordinary, nothing particularly impressive, but he was very consistent with his playstyle. So far, 15 minutes have passed, and neither side was scoring. Kirihara held his defence pretty well, not leaving chances for Yamato to score.

The Kanto High captain frowned. By the way Kirihara was playing…if he didn't know better he'd say that the captain wasn't playing seriously at all. Probably only as a warm-up exercise.

The former Seigaku captain was patient in waiting for chances. After some time, Kirihara had gotten careless, and Yamato scored one game.

Nanjirou gave a loud yawn. "Mada mada dana." He muttered as Kirihara walked past when the referee announced for them to change courts.

The Rikkai captain threw the former pro a neutral stare. Once he reached his side of the courts, he switched his racket to his right hand.

"He's right-handed?" Kikumaru was the first to ask.

"That's strange. Inui told us he was left-handed." Fuji stated.

Kirihara Akira seemed to have undergone a complete 360 degrees change once his racket was switched to a different hand. His gentle nature evaporated, as his eyes narrowed with murder intent. Also, a burst of aura erupted around him as he entered the state of self-actualization.

Even when he served, the shot was different, as the power had increased drastically. Yamato couldn't even come close to defending, as every time he hit a return, Kirihara would counter that shot immediately, and each of the Rikkai captain's returns had narrowly missed hitting Yamato's body parts.

"This aggressive style of tennis…is this really the same person we saw during camp?" Oishi wondered aloud, his face pale.

"Yamato-senpai…" Tezuka was worried for his senior, whom he respected (though his expression remained as unchanging as ever). Both he and Atobe made a miscalculation by placing Yamato in Singles 2. They didn't realize the gap between both their levels were _this_ wide. Then again, they really didn't have other options. Fuji was injured, and both he and Atobe would be facing others.

"Yo." Right at that moment, Inui popped up behind Kikumaru, scaring the acrobatic player half to death.

"Inui! Don't do that!" Oishi scolded.

Inui adjusted his glasses. "So sorry. Just here to say that the data is complete. Or at least, the data is edited."

He flipped through his book. "I've asked Sano-fukubuchou about Kirihara-buchou, since he would have known buchou far longer than I have. I can't believe so much data have eluded me. Well, at least Renji didn't have these data either, so we're still at a draw. Let's see…Kirihara Akira, Rikkai Dai senior high third year captain. _Right_-handed. All rounder, aggressive player. Back then, he had a nasty reputation for injuring all of his opponents, and no one has been able to finish a match against him, since they would all have to forfeit. However, five years ago his personality changed completely. Sano-fukubuchou mentioned that it was because Kirihara-buchou had an encounter with a certain Hawaiian shirt wearing, porn magazine reading man."

"Porn magazine…" As one, all eyes turned to the coach, who was hastily stuffing one of his magazines inside his robes. Nanjirou gave an innocent whistle. "My, my. I wonder who the bloke is." He said without batting an eyelid.

Inui closed his book. "I wasn't able to gather anymore data after that, since Kirihara-buchou didn't give Sano-fukubuchou the details. Care to tell us what had happened, Nanjirou-san?"

Nanjirou could feel the stares of all the regulars bearing down on him. He gave an irritable sigh and scratched his head. "I don't remember much. It was such a long time ago." Pausing a while, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "At that time…"

"_It was a good idea to return to Japan after all! Now I can get my darling Candy magazine, special edition. Ah. Japanese babes are the best!" Nanjirou snickered happily to himself._

_He had come over to Japan for a two-day trip, as his monk friend had asked to meet him. His friend would be going on a trip in the following year, and Nanjirou had agreed to look after the temple for him once he was gone. Now that the arrangements were made, Nanjirou decided to tour around his old country for a while before returning to the U.S._

"_Let's see if there are any new models in this issue…ah! So cute!" Nanjirou had to hold back a nosebleed._

_His head snapped up abruptly, however, when he heard someone give a cry of pain._

_Since it had nothing to do with him, Nanjirou wanted to take a different route and go on his way, but curiosity won when he heard several more cries of pain._

_After safely tucking his magazine under his arm, he followed the source of the sounds and came to a park. A boy, probably a junior high school student, with dark and wild hair, stood over several fallen boys, all who looked to be around his age._

"_Ceh. Was that tennis? Even my baby brother plays better tennis than you do." The boy snorted._

_The others looked severely battered up. The worst looked as if he had just been involving in a boxing match, with his lips bleeding and one of his eyes bruised._

"_Kirihara-kun. Enough! I don't think Hamada-kun can take anymore of your training!" One of the other boys came to the severely injured boy's defense._

_Kirihara seized the boy by his shirt. "Shut up! I'll decide when is 'enough'."_

_He strode over to Hamada. "Stand up. The match is not over yet."_

_Hamada gave a whimper and attempted to take cover behind his friend. That seemed to have angered Kirihara, who strode forward, his racket tapping against one shoulder as if itching to hit someone._

_Right at that moment, a tennis ball hit Kirihara on the head. The dark-haired boy picked up the ball and glanced around._

"_Whose is this?" He demanded angrily. _

_Nanjirou gave a sheepish laugh. "Ah, so sorry. My shot slipped."_

_Kirihara's eyes narrowed. Who was this sunglasses-wearing man?_

_Nanjirou knew that the boy wouldn't recognize him as the Samurai Nanjirou. He was wearing his disguise after all. He strode down the steps and threw a careless glance around at all the battered boys. _

"_My, my. You must have an overabundant amount of energy if you're beating everyone up like that. Either that or you're really, really bored." Nanjirou commented._

_He gave Kirihara a broad grin. "Well, I'm bored too. Let's have a match, Spartan boy."_

_The boy seemed slightly surprised to be challenged to a match. A slow smile appeared on his face. He pointed his racket at Nanjirou. "Don't think I will go easy on you because of your age. I will not show any mercy. Not even to old people."_

_One of the boys hurried to stop them. "Oji-san! Don't play against him! He's the Devil Kirihara. You'll get hurt!"_

_Kirihara snarled at the boy. "Shut up. I'll decide who my opponents are!"_

_The match ended 20 minutes later, not surprisingly, with Nanjirou as the winner. _

_The former pro made an exaggerated show of yawning. "What? Is that all you have?"_

_Kirihara seemed stunned. Perhaps the boy wasn't used to being pulverized so badly, with the scores at 6-2._

_He stared up at the samurai. "Who are you?" He demanded. No normal player would have such power._

_Nanjirou gave a smirk, removing his sunglasses. He saw the boy's eyes widen slightly in recognition. "Samurai Nanjirou…"_

_Nanjirou picked his magazine off the bench, tucking it once more under his arm. "I'll admit that you're a very talented player. Speed, skill, power. You have them all. In fact, given another few years of training, you could probably even consider pro tennis as a career. However, with your current style of tennis, you're 100 years too early to beat me."_

_Kirihara was severely displeased by that. "I want a rematch!" He demanded. _

_Nanjirou gave a low whistle. "You have guts, kid. Well, I don't mind. However, this round, you will not get even one point from me." Nanjirou switched the racket to his right hand._

"_Right-handed?!" Kirihara realized he was in big trouble._

_Nanjirou smirked. "If I win, you will abandon your violent style of tennis. You're not going to make any progress with it anyway."_

_True to what Nanjirou said earlier on, Kirihara lost the second round 6-0. The former pro smirked. "Mada mada dana." He turned around and made to leave._

"_I'll beat you…" Kirihara spoke up suddenly._

_Nanjirou turned around to find the boy glaring at him. "I'll admit my defeat this round, but in the future, I will beat you."_

_Kirihara switched the racket to his left hand before pointing it at Nanjirou. "I will not play with my right hand. Only after I've trained enough to play against you again will I use my dominant hand once more."_

_Nanjirou gave a sigh, scratching his head. "My, my. I seem to have more and more opponents these days. Well, my son is after my blood anyway, so one more rival doesn't make much of a difference." He walked off, giving a lazy wave to Kirihara. "Good luck with your training then, Kirihara-kun. Until we meet again on the tennis courts."_

"It looks like he has stuck to his word after all, not using his right hand until today. Well, I suppose he'd be challenging me to a match after this, but well, he's still 10 years too early to beat me." Nanjirou boasted.

Oishi stared at Kirihara. "So _he's_ the original Devil Kirihara? How is he so different now?"

Nanjirou rubbed his chin again. "I suppose when he stopped using his dominant hand and sealed up his violent playstyle, he must have lost his dominant personality and had somehow developed a motherhen personality instead."

Kikumaru shuddered. "So now that he has unsealed his aggressive playstyle, we'll be having two Devil Kiriharas running around? I don't want that nya!" He wailed.

Nanjirou shook his head. "No. He's not the Devil Kirihara anymore. True to his word, he has changed his playstyle completely. Otherwise, your precious senior would have been murdered on the courts 10 minutes into the game. His aggressive playstyle now is not aiming to hit, but aiming to score."

"Game and match, won by Kirihara. 6 games to 1." The referee announced the end of the match.

Cheers erupted from Rikkai Dai's supporters. Inui rejoined his teammates just as both Kirihara and Yamato shook hands at the net.

"You're really good, Kirihara-san." Yamato's ever high spirits were not dampened, even though he has lost.

The Rikkai captain gave a snort. "Ceh. It's just you being weak." He taunted.

His sweat slicked hands caused the racket to slip out of his grip, and said racket fell to the ground with a soft thud.

Kirihara blinked. The next moment, he had grabbed Yamato's hand and was checking him for injuries. "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to play like that! You're not hurt, are you?"

Everyone else watched as the Rikkai captain began fussing over the K-High third year player.

Oishi gave a weak laugh. "Now that's more like the Kirihara we know."

"He disturbingly reminds me of someone else…" Kikumaru shuddered, eyeing the fallen racket as if it had a curse on it.

Fuji chuckled. "Well, at least we know now where the younger Kirihara has gotten his personality from. How much are the chances of Kirihara Akaya turning into a motherhen too?"

There was a short pause at that. "No." Tezuka was the first to speak.

"Definitely not." Everyone else echoed.

Atobe gave a flick of his hair. "Ore-sama will be bankrupt first before that guy becomes a motherhen."

Fuji chuckled. "Saa…"

XXX

Once Doubles 1 was called for, Kanto High's Golden Pair stepped out onto the courts.

"It's our turn now, Oishi!" Kikumaru said excitedly.

"Aa." Oishi agreed. Both of them tapped their rackets together. Kikumaru began flipping his racket, a sign that his concentration was at its highest levels.

"We were fooled by those two the last time, but this round, we will not fall for the same trick again." Kikumaru made a promise. He could still remember how they were tricked last year, when the Platinum Pair cosplayed as each other.

'At least this round, we would have known them enough to be able to tell them apart, should those two attempt to pull the same stunt again…' The acrobatic player thought, flipping his racket at a faster pace now.

Their opponents stepped down to the courts, and both Oishi and Kikumaru's eyes widened.

'…or not…' Kikumaru didn't realize he had dropped his racket.

"Puri." Apparently, two _Niou's_ had stepped into the courts.

They could have passed off as identical twins, even though they weren't actually related in any way. Their hair, their face, their eyes, all the way to their antics and speech, it was all Niou Masaharu. Yagyuu should be given an award for his perfect imitation of his doubles partner. The Golden Pair couldn't tell them apart at all.

"This is bad, Oishi." Kikumaru said.

"Aa. That trickster Niou has something up his sleeve. Be careful, Eiji." Oishi warned.

The Golden Pair tried to distinguish the two. However, no matter how they studied their opponents, they could spot no difference between the two. They couldn't even see which of the two was Yagyuu.

"Don't mind, Eiji. Eventually Yagyuu-san will give himself off during the match later." Oishi reassured.

Kikumaru flipped his racket. "Hoi hoi!" They used the Australian Formation.

Since they couldn't be told apart, Kikumaru had temporarily dubbed them as Niou 1 and Niou 2. Niou 1 was on the left, while Niou 2 was on the right.

As Oishi served, Kikumaru noticed that Niou 2 was observing his racket intently. The acrobatic player deliberately tilted his racket slightly to the left before moving off to the right. Niou 2's eyes followed, and a small smirk appeared on the trickster's face.

During the next serve, surely enough, Niou 2 was the one to intercept the shot. Kikumaru had to hide a grin as he placed his hand behind his back, making a signal to Oishi. The observant trickster was finally spotted.

"Nice work, Eiji." With Niou marked, the Golden Pair was able to concentrate on their formations. They managed to score the first game, and during the second, Oishi used Moon Volley.

"Puri." Niou 2 countered with Laser Beam.

The Golden Pair was frozen on the spot for a while. "That…that's Yagyuu's skill. So he isn't Niou?" Oishi wondered aloud.

"It would seem so. The speed of that Laser Beam…it's the real thing." Kikumaru warned. Now they switched their target to Niou 1. As long as they make sure Yagyuu wouldn't get the chance to use Laser Beam, scoring wouldn't be a problem to them.

To their surprise, Niou 1 had used Laser Beam too, and Kikumaru analyzed the speed with his motion vision. "Hoi? The speed is exactly the same!" He informed Oishi.

Oishi frowned. This was bad. So they couldn't use this way to tell them apart at all. His eyes darted from one Niou to another. Just who was the real Niou, and who was Yagyuu?

Kikumaru was getting increasingly frustrated as he tried to guess who was who. Every time he targeted one as Yagyuu, the other Niou would somehow make a slip to prove him wrong. If that wasn't bad enough, Niou 2 was now before the net, blocking Kikumaru's view from his doubles partner, making it nearly impossible to see just what move was Niou 1 doing. Also, thanks to this, Kikumaru's net play was not fully utilized, not with Niou 2's sharp observation skills.

Kikumaru used his sealed steps, creating two illusions of himself. There was a catch with this skill though. The illusions were created because he moved swiftly from side to side when the opponent's gaze shifted away; giving the opponent the idea that Kikumaru was at several places at once. Niou 2's gaze, however, had not left Kikumaru at all, and it was difficult for him to catch the timing to use sealed steps.

Niou 2 gave a grin at that moment, and abruptly moved his head to one side just in time for Kikumaru to see Niou 1's shot aiming for him. So Niou 2 was trying to block Kikumaru from seeing this.

It was a good thing Kikumaru had a very quick reaction time, and he too dodged, allowing Oishi to intercept the shot. Already, he could hear the familiar sound of a racket being dragged across the ground as Oishi used Moon Volley.

Niou 1 took the chance to use Laser Beam, and again they couldn't catch the shot.

"Zannen munen mata raishuu." Both Niou's imitated Kikumaru's favourite phrase.

A vein popped in Kikumaru's head. "Yarou…" he seethed.

Oishi placed one hand on the acrobatic player's shoulder. "Calm down, Eiji. Don't fall for their trap."

Once Kikumaru was agitated, however, he wouldn't be able to calm down easily. He pointed at finger at the Platinum Pair. "Mou, Oishi! How should I calm down when I can't even tell those two apart?"

Oishi frowned. True. This was quite a dilemma for them, and they could hardly concentrate on the game as they were too busy looking for clues which would allow them to distinguish the two. Already, they were on the losing end, with the Rikkai pair overtaking them by at least 2 games. If they lose now, it was all over for them. They have to win this, no matter what. Win this and hand Singles 1 over to Tezuka. There was no way they could stop here. Now if only they were able to tell those two apart…

Oishi's train of thought trailed off, as another new one took over. Of course…why hadn't he noticed this sooner? This was the Rikkai trickster's plan from the start anyway. He was trying to throw their minds into confusion as they tried to differentiate the two.

"Eiji! Don't bother looking for who's Niou and who's Yagyuu. We'll beat them as they are." Oishi called out.

"Hoi?" Kikumaru seemed confused for a moment. However, Kikumaru trusted Oishi's judgement, and he nodded. "Very well then. Yosh! We'll rip that mask off after we beat them then." He said.

"Go ahead and try then. Puri." Both Niou's replied to that.

As the game progressed on, Oishi realized that Kikumaru's acrobatic play wasn't effective, not with Niou 2 marking him like that. Niou 2, who seemed to like positioning himself before the net, was playing the role of game maker and spotting for unguarded spots before signaling for Niou 1 to score with a Laser Beam.

"Eiji. We'll have to use that formation." Oishi said quietly before the next serve.

The redhead gave a small nod to indicate he understood. Right after Oishi served, instantly, both of them switched positions, with Eiji taking the back of the court, and Oishi going to the net.

That wasn't all though. Even as they brushed past each other, a familiar aura erupted around them, linking them.

"What?" Both Niou's seemed taken aback for a moment. The Golden Pair could enter the state of Synchro at will?

No more words were needed between them, as Oishi engaged Niou 2 in a challenge of game makers. Using Oishi Territory, he was able to detect the signals the Niou before the net was giving his doubles partner. Even without Oishi saying a word, Kikumaru knew how and when to intercept the shots, thanks to the link provided by Synchro.

The match instantly became one-sided. Niou 1 did manage to score several points with Laser Beam, but he used it so often that both Oishi and Kikumaru had already become used to the speed. Also, Sychro seemed to have given Kikumaru's speed a boost, and he was able to return the shot.

Meanwhile, Oishi had noticed something. Both of the Rikkai players followed a certain pattern. While both used the Laser Beam, it seemed that Niou 1 seemed to favour using it more than Niou 2 did. Also, Niou 1 hardly came up to the net, leaving that to his doubles partner instead.

It finally hit the Moon Volley player. Niou 1 was Yagyuu, which was why he was the one using the Laser Beam. If Niou 2 had used it too many times, eventually the difference would be obvious, not just with the speed, but also with the style of hitting it. Instead, the trickster Niou was pretty contented with just observing the opponents for weaknesses, which was why he stayed at the net.

Kikumaru managed to get the message from Oishi, and he too threw Niou 1, or Yagyuu a wary glance. Now they were careful to avoid giving the Rikkai player any chances of hitting the Laser Beam.

Niou 2 seemed to have noticed that, for he backed off instead to hit a Laser Beam, and surely enough, his style of hitting it was off.

"We've finally spotted you, Niou!" Both Oishi and Kikumaru hit the shot at the same time, the combined power of their rackets returning the shot with the same strength and speed as Kawamura's Hadoukyuu did.

When Niou 2 tried to return the shot, his racket ended up flying out of his hands.

"Game and match, won by, Oishi-Kikumaru pair, 6 games to 4!" The referee called the scores. Instantly the crowd went wild.

"They won! They won! We still have a chance of catching up!" Asakawa cheered.

Fuji gave a chuckle. "Aa. That's true."

The Golden Pair shook hands with their opponents. "Really. I'm not going to play against the likes of you anymore. That was the most confusing match I've ever come across." Kikumaru complained.

Oishi laughed lightly. "It was a good match, Niou, Yagyuu."

The Platinum Pair exchanged looks. "I'm not Yagyuu." Niou 1 spoke up first.

Niou 2 removed his wig and mask before putting on his glasses, which was in one of his pockets. The Golden Pair's jaw dropped as they were face to face with the gentleman himself.

Seeing their sucker-punched expressions, Niou began to snicker, while Yagyuu remained calm and expressionless. "Most impressive. You got us both wrong yet you won the match anyway. Puri."

"But…but…you were using the Laser Beam more often than he was." Kikumaru spluttered.

Yagyuu adjusted his glasses slightly. "That's of course. Niou's left-handed, but I'm not. If I were to use the Laser Beam too often, my cover would have been blown as my Laser Beam would not be as strong or as fast as the one hit by my right hand."

So in the end, they fell for the trickster's tricks anyway…

"Say. Sanada wouldn't hit you guys now that you've lost now, will he?" Kikumaru asked tentatively.

Niou gave a snort. "He's not the vice-captain anymore. Also, he'd have to hit himself first. He lost to Atobe, didn't he?"

"Don't worry. If anything, Yukimura will be able to stop him before he does any real damage." Yagyuu said calmly.

"Ah. I see…" There were times when the Golden Pair wondered if the Rikkai players were normal. This would be one of those times.

XXX

K-High's supporters were still cheering over the Golden Pair's victory. Thanks to that, at least they were able to make a comeback. K-High's journey had yet to end.

All of their cheers toned down, however, when the announcement for Singles 1 was made. It was the final battle, between two of the strongest senior high students in the tennis world.

Tezuka walked calmly into the courts, every step he took radiated with confidence and leadership. He met Yukimura at the net and shook his hand.

"So it's a battle between us again, Tezuka." The former Rikkai Dai captain said, smiling lightly.

"Aa." Tezuka replied, his voice devoid of emotions.

It was Yukimura's serve, and as the Rikkai player prepared to serve, he tightened the grip on his racket. "I've fully recovered now. I won't hold back, Tezuka." He warned. A strong aura burst around Yukimura's form before concentrating on his right arm.

"Let's play with all our strength." Tezuka too used the same skill, with the aura concentrating around his left hand instead.

Even as the ball was served, everyone's jaws had dropped open, for it was nowhere near senior high level. It was beyond that.

Their tennis was perfect tennis, almost like Shitenhouji's Shiraishi, but each stroke was stronger and more confident. Every time Yukimura hit a shot, Tezuka returned it with double the power, and Yukimura, thanks to his Hyakuren, doubled it again.

Between Tezuka and Yukimura, however, the latter was more powerful. After an agonizingly long rally which seemed to last forever, Yukimura finally scored one game.

Tezuka used his high speed serve, which Yukimura returned without much difficulty. Tezuka returned the shot, and after Yukimura hit it back again did he realize all the shots were returning to Tezuka. The Tezuka Zone!

"My my, using your skill so soon? Don't people usually reserve their trump cards?" Yukimura undid the spin and hit the ball back.

That was a trick though, as Tezuka used zero shiki. The ball hit the ground and rolled towards the net instantly.

"20 shots." Tezuka spoke up suddenly, a familiar aura surrounding his whole form. He had finally decided to use his other pinnacle, the Pinnacle of Great Wisdom.

In the next rally Tezuka had the advantage. With his absolute predictions, he was able to score after calculating the moves. With this skill, he scored 2 games, pulling ahead of Yukimura.

Yukimura didn't seem too worried about it. He gave Tezuka a slight nod. "I have heard of you opening two of the doors, but to see it with my own eyes, it sure is different. However, two can play that game." The next moment, Yukimura had used the same pinnacle. Tezuka's eyes widened slightly. Yukimura had opened two doors too?

Yukimura's Pinnacle of Hard Work was stronger than Tezuka's. Similarly, his Pinnacle of Great Wisdom too made sure his predictions were always one step above Tezuka's, and the K-High captain found himself having to play defensive, not having the chance at all to score as he was too busy preventing Yukimura from scoring.

Tezuka did manage to score one or two points with his zero shiki serve, but once Yukimura defeated even that, the blue-haired Rikkai player scored yet another game, bringing it to 4 games to 2, Yukimura's favour.

Needless to say, Tezuka's fellow regulars were looking shocked at their captain's struggles. "So this is Yukimura's true power now that he has recovered?" Oishi asked.

Atobe frowned. He recalled, years ago when he was a junior high first year student, he had seen the extraordinarily talented Yukimura before in a junior senbatsu camp. Even then, he was already levels above all of them, defeating everyone with ease. Sanada was number two in the camp, that was, until a bespectacled brunette with a stoic face joined in and thrashed Sanada 6-0, 6-1.

Back then, Tezuka was almost on equal grounds with Yukimura, but even so, he had lost in the end, as Yukimura's skills proved to be superior. This looked to be a rematch of that match. They both didn't have the Pinnacle of Great Wisdom back then, but aside from that, there wasn't really much of a difference. Yukimura was still stronger than Tezuka. How was the K-High captain going to win this, even Atobe had no idea.

There was a soft pat on Atobe's shoulder, and the diva turned around to find a certain tensai smiling at him. "Do you have that little faith in our captain, Atobe?" Fuji asked quietly. Atobe realized his thoughts must have been showing on his face.

The never ending rally dragged on, but Atobe saw that Fuji had a point. While Tezuka was not able to score any points, neither was Yukimura. Their darn stubborn captain was putting all his efforts into defence, while looking for Yukimura to make a mistake, waiting for chances to score.

"He has made a promise to a very important person. He wouldn't lose." Fuji said, partially to convince those around him, and partially also to convince himself, it seemed.

Ironically, right after Fuji said that, Yukimura was scoring again. The blue-haired boy seemed to have finally analysed Tezuka's playstyle, and was now attacking even more aggressively. With his Absolute Predictions and his skills, he was able to score another game. 5 games to 2.

"At this rate, Tezuka's going to lose!" Kikumaru exclaimed.

Oishi didn't know what to say to that. He blinked, however, when he felt a drop of water on his head, followed on by another. He held a palm out. "Is it raining?" He wondered aloud.

It sure seemed so, as a drizzle began to fall, and eventually the rain became heavier.

Slowly, the dome stadium began to close in order to shelter everyone inside from the rain. Everyone's eyes followed it for a moment as it slid close, everyone except the two players in the court, who were both still too engaged in their battle to even notice it was raining.

Somehow, the system must have short circuited somewhere, for the roof stopped in the midst of closing, and while everyone else was nice and dry in the sheltered parts, the rain continued to fall on the two senior high students.

Tezuka was only vaguely aware of it. His could hear a soft splash every time his shoes made contact with the ground. Not that it mattered to him. He had experience playing a match in the rain before. It would not affect his performance.

Neither would it affect Yukimura's. Tezuka had miraculously managed to win a game, bringing the scores to 5-3, but he knew that if he let his guard down for even a moment, he'd lose.

He was slowly getting tired. While his mind was as sharp as ever, his stamina was slowly running low from the prolonged match. Yukimura must be quite fatigue by now too, but the blue-haired boy didn't show it.

He decided to use one of his newest skills. He was at the losing edge anyway, so it was about time he made a counterattack.

Once Yukimura made a shot, Tezuka added a reverse spin 6 times stronger than his Tezuka Zone before returning it to Yukimura. When Yukimura hit a return, the ball flew out of the courts.

"Out! 15-0!" The referee announced.

Of course, by Yukimura's standards, there was no way Yukimura would hit a ball outside the courts, not with his superb accuracy. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out it was Tezuka's doing.

Tezuka did it again, and once more Yukimura hit the ball out. Tezuka did this repeatedly until he managed to win another game, gradually catching up with Yukimura's scores.

"Oi! Tezuka-kun. Do you not bother about your arm at all?" Nanjirou suddenly snapped from the sides. Tezuka ignored him. No matter what, Kanto High would be the champions.

"This is a complete reverse of the Tezuka Zone…the Tezuka Phantom. Unlike the Tezuka Zone, which draws all the shots to Tezuka, this one drives all the shots out of the courts…" Atobe realized out loud.

Kikumaru looked excited at that. "So Tezuka had such a cool skill like that? That's wonderful!"

"It is not." Nanjirou said quietly. He threw a glare at the stubborn captain. From what he heard from Ryoma, Tezuka once injured his arm, and Nanjirou knew that it was an injury which would never heal fully. The Tezuka Phantom placed an incredible burden on the arm, and if this went on, Tezuka could kiss his tennis career goodbye once his arm was destroyed for real. He was playing at a great risk, with his old injury threatening to act up at anytime.

Yukimura deactivated the Pinnacle of Great Wisdom and activated the Pinnacle of Hard Work. "Such a terrible guy, to use a double edged skill without any qualms. The basis of this skill is quite similar to the Tezuka Zone, isn't it?" Yukimura added a counter spin to the one Tezuka placed on the ball, and since he was using Hyakuren, the spin was doubled. It wasn't enough to completely nullify Tezuka Phantom, but it was enough to ensure that Yukimura's shot didn't fly out of the courts.

Tezuka realized that even his trump card was defeated. If he continued on, he would only be injuring his arm, but he wouldn't be able to score anyway.

If that wasn't bad enough, Sanada chose to yell at that moment. "Win this, Yukimura. Bring Rikkai Dai the championship with your own hands." Of course, that was enough to give the blue haired boy a morale boost.

Yukimura smiled, his eyes taking on a dangerous tint that was not unlike Fuji's whenever the tensai got serious. "I'm sorry, Tezuka, but I'll be winning this." Now his attacks were even fiercer than ever. Yukimura scored a point. 3 more and it was game over. Yukimura scored another point, 2 more and it was game over…

Right at that moment, there was an explosion of aura so powerful from outside the courts, it was like a flash of lightning in the sky. Tezuka gaze was drawn to it, his eyes widening in mild alarm. That…that was the Pinnacle of Perfection, but who was using this? Ryoma? Or Kintarou?

A ball shot past his feet. He returned his attention to his match. Yukimura held up the next ball. "Are you sure you can afford to lose your focus, Tezuka?" He asked quietly. Just one more shot and the match would go to Yukimura.

Tezuka's eyes narrowed. No matter what. He must not lose this. Even if his skills were all defeated, he'd have to think of new ones to overcome his current weakness.

Somehow, that caused him to recall his conversation with Ryoma just this morning.

"_Kunimitsu…say…have you ever used the Pinnacle of Hard Work and the Pinnacle of Great Wisdom together before?" The Seigaku captain asked even as packed his rackets back in his bag._

_Tezuka frowned. "The two Pinnacles together? You mean activate them both at the same time? I don't think that is possible. Both of these are two different skills. You have to use them one at a time, I don't think it's possible to activate one while you're still using the other."_

"_Why not? Both are part of the State of Self Actualization, and isn't that one skill on its own?" Ryoma asked._

_The Seigaku captain smiled as he walked over to Tezuka. "You may never know, Kunimitsu. You used to say that the Tezuka Phantom was impossible too, didn't you?"_

_Tezuka remembered he did say that last year, when both he and Ryoma were changing in the clubroom after practice. The Kanto High captain stopped himself from recalling too much, least his mind wandered too far._

_Ryoma seemed to be thinking along those lines too, for the Seigaku captain flushed slightly. Ryoma adjusted his cap to hide his face. "Just take it as a challenge from me then. You'll try to use both those skills at the same time, and I'll try to reactivate the Pinnacle of Perfection. Okay?"_

_Of course, the challenges seemed impossible to either of them. Still, seeing Ryoma's serious expression, Tezuka knew he couldn't refuse him._

"_Aa. I'll accept the challenge then." Tezuka replied._

Tezuka did try to activate both, but his Pinnacle of Hard Work canceled his Pinnacle of Great Wisdom. By a sheer stroke of luck, however, he was able to score a point, as Yukimura wasn't expecting him to double his Tezuka Phantom.

Tezuka withdrew deep within himself, once more returning to his basic Muga no Kyouchi. He tried to remember what it felt like when he had first unlocked Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami. Also, what had it felt like to unlock Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami. He tried to activate both again. Ryoma had mentioned that both were branches from the same skill, so perhaps he had to return to the State of Self Actualization before he could open them both? He had nothing to lose anyway, so why not give it a try?

This round, he could feel the aura of Hyakuren surrounding his left arm, yet he could also feel the aura of Great Wisdom surrounding his whole form. He had finally succeeded!

"8 shots!" Tezuka made his counter attack, using Hard Work to power his shots, and using Great Wisdom to monitor for weaknesses.

Yukimura's eyes widened. "My goodness. You're using both of those skills at the same time?! Impossible!"

Tezuka scored one more game. 5 games all. He raised his racket. Now that he had merged both the Pinnacle of Hard Work and the Pinnacle of Great Wisdom, at least his skills were on par with Yukimura's. "Saa. Yudan sezu ni ikkou." The brunette captain declared solemnly.

Nanjirou raised an eyebrow. "Not bad, Tezuka-kun. Now I see why my Ryoma has fallen so badly for you." He snickered. One of these days, he should play against this captain again to try out this new skill.

Using Hyakuren, Tezuka was able to minimize the burden Tezuka Phantom had on his arm. Once more, they engaged in a furious rally, neither side backing down. Yukimura was trying to defeat Tezuka and win the finals, while Tezuka was both trying to win the finals and hurry up over to the junior high side to see how Ryoma was doing.

The rain continued to fall on the two extremely fatigue players. When Yukimura used a Hyakuren powered shot, Tezuka countered with zero shiki.

Somehow, however, Yukimura had added a spin on his own on the ball before hitting over, so instead of a drop shot, Tezuka's zero shiki became a cord ball, one which landed right on the net and stayed there. The little green tennis ball looked pretty contented to remain there, while the two players watched it with bated breath.

After a few moments, though it felt like several years to the two, the ball finally fell to the ground. A cheer rang out throughout the stadium. Both Tezuka and Yukimura fell to the ground too, completely exhausted.

"Game and match, won by, Tezuka, 7 games to 5." The referee's voice was half drowned by the crowd's cheers and the sounds of the falling rain. The scores did bring a small smile to Tezuka's face though. 'I won, Ryoma. I won.' He closed his eyes, not caring that he was now lying on his back in the middle of the courts. The rain felt soothing on his tired skin.

Abruptly, the rain seemed to have stopped, for he could no longer feel the water droplets on his face. He opened his eyes lowly, and realized that someone was holding an umbrella over his head. He blinked once to allow his eyes to focus, and the sight of a certain cap-wearing, green haired boy greeted his eyes. At the moment, the boy's catlike golden eyes were trained on him, and there was a small smile on his face.

"Mada mada sune, Kunimitsu." Ryoma held a hand out.

Seeing his boyfriend, Tezuka realized that victory had never been sweeter. Ryoma looked a little battered up, but otherwise, the grin on his face was already speaking volumes about the results for the junior high side.

"Aa." Tezuka took the proffered hand, allowing Ryoma to help him up.

To be continued…

A/N: Incredible. These are the most supernatural matches I've ever written so far. So sorry. I couldn't resist it. XD

I'm afraid I've made Sanada rather OOC, meaning I've toned down his skills. Using more of his old FuuRinKaaZan (WindForestFireMountain) instead of the FuuRinKaaInZanRai (WindForestFireShadowsMountainLightning) he had displayed in the match against Tezuka in the latest manga chapters.

In the previous chapter of my fic (where Atobe faced Sanada in the District Games), Atobe's Tannhauser Serve followed the anime's version, meaning it burdens his arm if he used it repeatedly. In this chapter, Atobe's Tannhauser Serve followed the manga's version, meaning he can use it over and over again and there are no side effects.

Yukimura's skills may or may not be accurate. As mentioned, the Rikkai matches had never happened in my fic (since even till now, the matches in the manga haven't ended yet)

Tezuka's match with Yukimura was my way of revenge for the Sanada-Tezuka match in the manga chapters. Ufufufu.

Speaking of manga chapters, are there any InuiXKaidou fans out there? Go check out the latest manga chapters. There are a lot of hints there.

**Please Read and Review. No Flames Please.**

-Gwyn


	25. Final Chapter

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. Konomi does though.**

**Warning: May contain spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic. Repetitive scenes.**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, Sanada X Yukimura**

**(This chapter tallies with chapter 22 of Echizen, Our Buchou)**

A/N: As mentioned in my other fic, this will be the last chapter of the Echizen, Our Buchou/Life after Seigaku back-to-back fics.

**Alaine**, ehehe. I did mention before I'd (try) to not let fluff dominate my fic, but the focus should be on tennis instead. Needless to say I've failed for most of the chapters except for the last one, since that was mainly dominated by tennis. The fluffiness had to be sacrificed though. :p

**Quill**, hehehe. Poor Tez, drenched by rain, and his only form of shelter is Echizen's umbrella. I am so evil, am I not. Mada mada sune is the more polite form of mada mada dane, means 'you haven't gone all out yet' instead of the usual 'you still have lots more to work on'. So far, Ryoma had only said this line to Fuji from what I've seen in both the anime and manga so far. Hmm…Yukimura's shirt was yellow, since that's the Rikkai uniform's colour, but Tez's is white. Rain drenched Tez in a white shirt…(notices blood on the keyboard) Ah dang, you just had to plant that mental image in my head, didn't you? I agree. InuiKaidou is a rather cute couple. Why else would anti-social Kaidou be that close to Inui, and why else would Inui go so far for Kaidou (Kinda like what Tez would do for Echizen. XD)

**Jenny**, I reread the Nationals chapters, and I see what you were talking about. I did not make Tez use the POGW in the one half of the Nationals chapters as I didn't wish for the skill to be repetitive, saving it as one of Tez's trumps cards. Also, at that time he was playing doubles, so the skill would have been less effective as compared to if he had used his POHW. Also, Tez having the POGW in his match against Chitose would have been the talk of that time, and surely word would have reached the Rikkai Dai regulars' ears. That was why Yukimura said he had heard of Tezuka having it, but had not seen it with his own eyes.

Hope I've managed to clear up some of the confusion. :p

**HEIDI**, glad you liked the matches. Another vote for Takahiro. He's going to be pleased.

Ryoma: Ceh…I don't need a vice-captain,

Momo: (grabs Echizen in a headlock) You can't be so arrogant na, you can't yo.

Tezuka: …Release Ryoma this instant…and 100 laps.

Ryoma: (smirks) mada mada dane, Momo-senpai.

**Meng-chan**, actually, the chapters are supposed to be read back to back, so you've read it correctly. I think some chapters may seem incomplete if one finished one fic first then proceeded to read the other. Will be replacing the older chapters to indicate which of the EOB chapters came before which of the LAS chapters.

Prince of Cheerleading is on hiatus, until I finished the current fics. Won't be thrashing it. I won't start a fic until I'm confident I can finish it. I'd deal with POC first before moving on to the actual sequel for these two fics.

To the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Chapter 25 (Final Chapter)

With the end of the Nationals, the students of Kanto High found themselves doing one final exam before the end of the school term.

The results were out on the board, as usual. Since Toruwa Jun took over as headmaster, the results posted included each student's co-curricular performance too, and the total score of the two added together.

Everyone could be seen whispering as Tezuka, Atobe and Fuji stood before the board, checking their scores.

"That's the K-High club captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu. And that's his vice-captain Atobe Keigo. Sugoi…they made it into the top ten."

"They're only first years, yet their achievements during the competitions were amazing. Did you see how the captain and vice captain performed during the matches?"

The Nationals had been the first major competition the school had since the former headmistress' exam-oriented system crumbled, so needless to say, everyone had been keeping track of it. Even up till now, they spoke of the tennis club with great respect.

Tezuka didn't say much about the sudden attention he and his fellow regulars were getting. On the other hand, Atobe basked in the attention, giving his fans a regal wave as he walked past them, causing them to burst into fits of delighted squeals. Some had even fainted from his 'awesome' presence.

"Thank you, my loyal subjects. It is to be expected that the club will perform spectacularly under ore-sama's leadership. Be awed by my mightiness." Atobe crowed.

He gave another sweep of his arm. "In fact, next year ore-sama will be running for the position of the president of the student council." He announced to everyone present, and they gave a cheer.

Tezuka frowned. "If you do that, Atobe, you will have to resign from your position as vice-captain in the club. There is no way you'd be able to juggle between the two."

Atobe looked mildly offended. "What are you saying, Tezuka? Are you underestimating ore-sama, ahn? I'll take up both positions. Or would you like to decide that on the usual game?"

Tezuka twitched. "No thank you." He spun around and left.

Fuji followed him, chuckling at the sight of Atobe now speaking like a king, making all sorts of promises to his fellow subjects on the changes he'd make to the school should he be elected as the new student council president. "Saa…shouldn't you stop him, Tezuka? He's now promising to introduce his favourite Peasant's Game into the school if he's chosen. I think that will be bad news for you."

"Just ignore him." Tezuka replied, resolutely walking straight ahead.

XXX

The last day of practice arrived soon enough. After it had ended, and after Tezuka and Atobe had given their end of the year speeches, the members were dismissed, and the regulars had a short goodbye session for Yamato and Kira.

"We're going to miss you, Yamato-senpai, Kira-senpai." Kikumaru was the first to speak up.

Yamato chuckled and patted Kikumaru on the shoulder. "It was a wonderful experience, joining the club and playing tennis with all of you. Keep up the good work. Don't look so sad, Kikumaru-kun. I'm sure we'll meet again someday."

Yamato pulled Tezuka aside for a while to have a word with him. "You're a fine pillar of strength, Tezuka-kun. I'm very proud of you and what you've done for the club. Thanks to you, I can leave the club with no regrets. My dream was to go to the Nationals, and you've helped to realize that."

"It wasn't my effort alone, Yamato-senpai." Tezuka replied. Both of them watched the others in silence for a while.

"After this, I will be enrolling for med school. I sure will miss tennis and all, but my dream is to be a physician." He threw a sideglance at his junior. "I have a feeling you might be considering the field of medicine as well."

"Aa." Tezuka admitted. How did Yamato-senpai know that anyway? Then again, his respected, mildly eccentric senior had incredible insight. "I have two options. One will be to go pro, and the other is to be a doctor."

"Knowing you, you'd have no problem with either. Good luck, Tezuka-kun. Oh, and good luck with your young pillar as well." Yamato smiled.

Meanwhile, Fuji and the Golden Pair bade Asakawa farewell too, since he was quitting the club by the end of the year.

"Are you sure you're not going to stay on, Kantarou?" Kikumaru asked.

Asakawa shook his head. "I'm more suited for the track team than tennis. That club was my first choice when I entered this school anyway. Thank you all for your support during my time here. I had a great time in the club."

Fuji came forward and patted his shoulder. "It was great having you as a doubles partner. Be sure to visit us from time to time after your club's practices."

"Don't forget us nya." Kikumaru added.

One by one, the club members began to leave. Of all the regulars, Asakawa was the first to leave, giving his teammates a last wave before he did. Yamato and Kira were the next to go. Fuji, the Golden Pair, Atobe and Tezuka were the only ones left as they made their way to the clubroom.

"So, who do you think will join us next year? Momo or Kaidou?" Kikumaru was the one to start a new conversation.

Oishi looked thoughtful. "I'd say Momo. There is a chance Kaidou will go to Rikkai Dai, since Inui is there."

Fuji chuckled. "True. Kaidou holds Inui in great respect. He probably takes Inui as his mentor. Besides, Kaidou wouldn't want to end up in the same school that Momo is going to."

They left the clubroom. Tezuka locked up after them, as was his usual duty. He joined them in their walk out of the school.

"Whoever is joining us next year, we're really going to have to put all our effort into keeping our regular's positions." Oishi pointed out to them.

All of them (except for Tezuka and Atobe) nodded. Tezuka remained expressionless, while Atobe gave an arrogant smirk and ran his fingers through his own hair.

"That is not going to be a problem for ore-sama. Be awed by my magnificence."

They ignored him, knowing better than to fuel his ego. Kikumaru nodded to Oishi's statement. "I am not giving up my position to Kaidou or Momo. Definitely not."

"We have not seen their performance during the finals, but I've heard that they've both played very well." Tezuka said quietly. Ryoma had sounded very proud of his regulars when he narrated the games to him.

"I believe that. Come now. Let's go to Kawamura's place for an end of the year celebration." Oishi suggested, and Kikumaru had not surprisingly been the first one to cheer to that.

Tezuka turned to his best friend. "Oishi. I will not be able to join you this round. My grandfather expects me to be home right after school today."

Oishi nodded in understanding. "Such a pity. Very well. See you again, Tezuka."

"Aa." The Kanto High captain bade all of them farewell and took a separate route from theirs.

XXX

"Tadaima." Tezuka greeted once he reached home.

His mother emerged from inside the house. "Okaeri, Kunimitsu. You had better hurry. Your grandfather has been waiting at the dojo for quite a while now, and you know what he thinks about punctuality."

"Aa." Tezuka was quick to finish his lunch and have a bath before heading to the dojo. Just last year, his grandfather had retired from his job at the police dojo for health reasons, and had taken it easy ever since. He did not give up his passion for martial arts though, and had opened a dojo just a short distance behind their house.

His grandfather had instructed for Tezuka to help him out with teaching the trainees during the holidays, and Tezuka had agreed on it. Today, Tezuka was supposed to try out the _gi_ (white attire worn in Karate) and see whether it suited his size. His grandfather was also going to be giving him a short briefing on his duties when the new trainees enroll in the dojo.

Tezuka Kunikazu, the family patriarch looked up when Tezuka entered the dojo. "You're late." He said sternly.

Tezuka gave a bow. "My apologies, grandfather."

Kunikazu said nothing else. He motioned for Tezuka to join the other three trainers before giving his speech. Tezuka, like the others, listened on with rapt attention. Kunikazu had a very commanding presence, and each word was spoken so authoritatively, anyone who heard him would be compelled to obey. People often said that Kunimitsu resembled his grandfather most. Tezuka thought that was an understatement. If his teammates were intimidated by him, they'd be scared to death if they met his grandfather.

Kunikazu introduced Kunimitsu as the new trainer, and Tezuka gave the other three a bow. After giving them a briefing on the do's and don'ts, Kunikazu dismissed the three trainers back to their respective classes.

He then turned to Tezuka, pinning him with serious, brown eyes. "Your duties as a trainer will not begin until the holidays. You will be in charge of training the novices. For now, try out your gi. I've placed it in the room located furthest right. If there are any adjustments needed for the measurements, inform me. If the measurements are fine, inform me anyway."

"Hai. Ojii-sama." Tezuka took his leave and made his way to the room to try on his clothes.

As he put on his gi, he allowed his thoughts to run. During the holidays, he would be pretty occupied with this part time job. Of course, that would mean he had less chances to go out on a date with Ryoma.

He frowned as his mind wandered off further, even as his hands automatically tied his belt around his waist. Speaking of date, he wondered what it would be like if his family, especially his grandfather, found out about his relationship with the green-haired boy.

'They'd be pissed. That's for sure.' Tezuka shuddered, knowing that he'd have to face his grandfather's wrath sooner or later. Well, he'd just keep this secret from them. _Just a little while longer._

He heard footsteps approaching him. Probably his grandfather, here to see if the gi suited him.

Turning around, he realized that it wasn't his grandfather, but his green-haired boyfriend instead. "Ryoma." He greeted warmly. It was always good to see him.

Strangely, Ryoma didn't give his usual greeting. Instead, the boy was gaping at him, a slight flush spreading across his cheeks. He was staring so long that Tezuka had to hold himself back from fidgeting uneasily.

He glanced down, following Ryoma's line of vision. It was only then he realized he hadn't worn his gi properly. He had tied the belt too loose, and the front part of the white attire was opened a little, exposing his chest. He apologized to Ryoma and adjusted his clothes, making sure to tie the belt tighter this round.

At least when he was done Ryoma had stopped gaping at the front of his clothes and was now turning his attention to his face instead. The younger boy raised one eyebrow, and Tezuka understood the unspoken question. Ryoma had never seen him wear this before, and was most likely wondering why he was dressed in this now.

"I will be helping my grandfather out in the dojo during the holidays, so I'm trying out the clothes today to see if it still fits me. Does it?" He couldn't resist asking his boyfriend for his opinion.

"Perfectly." The answer was short, and Ryoma's tone was as flat as usual, but somehow that felt to be even more of a compliment to Tezuka than if it had been his grandfather who said it.

A smile lit his face. After assuring Ryoma that he was almost done and they would be walking back to his house together, Tezuka hurried to change back to his normal wear. Ryoma was shifting from foot to foot. If Tezuka didn't know better, his boyfriend looked like he was trying very hard not to turn around. Tezuka squashed that thought. There was no way Ryoma would do that. He was not Nanjirou.

Once he was done, he led Ryoma back to his house. They went to his room, where they'd have more privacy for a conversation. Ryoma sat cross-legged on the floor, his hands by his sides. His manner suggested that he looked perfectly comfortable, but Tezuka sensed that the boy had something on his mind. Being with Ryoma for nearly a year now, he had long learnt to read most of Ryoma's body language to know when he was perfectly relaxed and when he was contemplative. Now was one of the latter moments.

He sat next to Ryoma, waiting for the boy to speak up. After a while, Ryoma seemed to have finally decided on how to start the conversation. The boy rummaged his pockets, and after a while, the prodigy turned to him.

"Kunimitsu. This is for you."

Tezuka blinked. Ryoma had just handed him a button. O…kay…

He took it from Ryoma's hand, not sure what to make of it. This button looked vaguely familiar. Where had he seen this before? Also, why would Ryoma be giving him a button of all things? Was this a gift? That couldn't be. Ryoma didn't have this kind of a sense of humour, and neither did he. There was nothing special about this button, and he voiced his confusion.

Ryoma blushed, and Tezuka couldn't help thinking that this button had far more of a significance that he thought, just that he couldn't see it at the moment. "Well…just…giving it to you for safekeeping. It's not like I'm reserving it for you on purpose or something. Just trying to make sure those girls wouldn't be able to get their hands on it." The last sentence was spoken softly, and after Ryoma said it, he flushed red, looking mildly alarmed, as if he hadn't been intending to say it at all.

For Ryoma to be this distracted, Tezuka knew that something must have been on his mind. So was this it? "Girls trying to get their hands on it?" Tezuka had to fight down the surge of jealousy.

He stared at the button again, looking at it with a new, hostile light. After a while, it clicked in his head as to why it had looked familiar. "This is the second button of your blazer?"

After Ryoma had answered in the affirmative, Tezuka really didn't know how he should respond to that. So it was that silly tradition where the guy would give his date his second button to signify their relationship. He had no idea how Ryoma knew about the button-giving tradition in the first place, since Ryoma was raised in America. Not surprisingly, Ryoma got the tradition a little wrong.

The guy was supposed to give the button…to a _girl_. Which part of Tezuka looked like a girl? As much as Tezuka loved Ryoma, he was pretty sure _he_ wasn't the girl in the relationship.

Tezuka threw a sideglance at his boyfriend. Ryoma was studying him closely, waiting for a response. His silence was making Ryoma nervous, for the boy was shifting in his seat very slightly.

He turned his attention back to the button. Not exactly Ryoma's fault, since he didn't know. Now then, should he return the button to Ryoma, explain his mistake and why giving the button to Tezuka wouldn't signify what he thought it would signify; or should he keep the button, and Ryoma wouldn't know that he was wrong about the tradition.

Immediately, his mind wandered off to conjure images of squealing fangirls scrabbling at the front of Ryoma's blazer to get his second button. Ryoma being molested alive. No. That wasn't a pleasant mental image at all.

He made his mind up in an instant. Turning back to Ryoma, he gave a nod. "I'll keep this then." No one was molesting his Ryoma if he could help it. Also, about the tradition…what Ryoma didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Ryoma looked relieved, and Tezuka mentally congratulated himself for making the correct decision. "One more thing, Kunimitsu. Go on a date with me this Saturday." The boy added.

Tezuka couldn't help feeling surprised. Ryoma didn't often take the initiative to ask him out on a date. It was usually him asking Ryoma out on dates. "And what's the occasion?" Tezuka asked. If he was lucky, Ryoma might tell him what was on his mind.

"Do we need one to go on a date?" Ryoma returned the question. Maybe Ryoma was suggesting for them to go on a date before he would tell Tezuka about what was weighing his thoughts.

Tezuka ruffled Ryoma's black-green hair. Very well then. He'd wait for Ryoma to tell him on their date. "Definitely not. Say, Ryoma. If one of the girls had gotten that button, would you have taken her on that date instead?" Tezuka couldn't help asking, not too sure if he was intending to tease Ryoma or test him.

Ryoma gave a snort at that. "She can swallow the button for all I care. You're the only one I love."

That caught Tezuka by surprise. Ryoma had never said the 'l' word to him, not during all their time together. He expressed it by actions, reassuring Tezuka that his feelings were not unrequited, but he was very reserved about actually voicing it out. He said it now thanks to his mind being so distracted.

Tezuka studied the boy, who was looking highly embarrassed at speaking his thoughts out loud. Ryoma should say that he loved Tezuka more often, if he knew how much of an impact it had on Tezuka. He didn't seem to think so now though, as he was wearing an expression which said he wished to bury himself somewhere.

A chuckle escaped Tezuka's lips before he could suppress it. Ryoma's head whipped over to him. "What's so funny?" The boy demanded, his golden eyes narrowed, and cheeks still flushed. Defiance was strong in that gaze.

Tezuka felt that Ryoma should be given an award for challenging his self-control. He found his gaze wandering over to Ryoma's lips. "I was just thinking. You're really too cute, Ryoma." He held Ryoma's chin gently and moved to kiss him.

One moment, Ryoma's eyes had fluttered close, submitting himself to the kiss. The next moment, however, Ryoma had given him a hard shove backwards before their lips could meet.

Tezuka's blinked in surprise, not expecting that. His question was unanswered, as at that moment, his mother walked in with drinks for both of them.

Tezuka's face remained his usual, expressionless mask. Inwardly, however, he groaned. If only his mother had entered at least a few minutes later. Ryoma sure had good hearing.

The mood was ruined, though. Ryoma drained his cup and stood to leave. The boy thanked his mother and gave him an apologetic smile. "I'll see you on Saturday then."

XXX

Saturday. A day when everyone could take a break from work and enjoy the weekends. A day when everyone could sleep late and no one would chide them for it.

Not for two certain data masters though. At the moment, the Data Pair from Rikkai Dai sat in one of the restaurants, comparing their data.

"Our data is almost tallying with one another. I've expected nothing less from you. Renji." Inui stated, adjusting his glasses.

Yanagi took a bite of his food. "You've improved greatly since the last time I taught you data tennis. Ah. By the way, you made a mistake there. Sanada's smash is not 140km/h. It's 160km/h."

"Is that so? Thank you, kyojyu." Inui erased the inaccurate data and rewrote it.

"Don't mention it, hakase." Yanagi responded.

They were silent for a while. Yanagi was the first to look up when someone familiar walked past the restaurant. The person had not noticed them though, and continued walking on.

"Sadaharu. Isn't that your former junior Echizen?" Yanagi asked.

Inui looked up. Surely enough, it was Ryoma, and for a moment he was unrecognizable, since he had dressed up. He was wearing a red cap instead of his usual white cap. Still Fila though. That guy was a loyal consumer for that brand.

Ryoma wore a white shirt and long, black pants. His shirt had two buttons undone at the collar. The boy leaned against one of the trees, his hands shoved inside his pockets in what was a casual manner.

"Want to go say hi, Sadaharu?" Yanagi asked his friend.

Inui shook his head. "For Echizen to be dressed like that, there is a 90 percent chance he's waiting for someone, and I am a 100 percent certain I know who that someone is."

"I don't think you need much calculations for that. Echizen wouldn't have to dress like that if he was meeting, say, his best friend Momoshiro. He'd at least have buttoned his shirt completely." Yanagi took another bite of his food.

Inui wolfed down his food at record speed, not wishing to miss the action. He finished just in time to see Tezuka emerge from one of the corners and walk over to Ryoma. The two exchanged greetings for a while before both of them walked off together.

"Renji. Let's…"

"Let's follow them…was what you were trying to say." Renji continued the sentence for him, as was his habit. He looked satisfied after seeing Inui's expression. "I am right."

"Of course. Also, there is a 76 percent chance you'd reject that offer." Inui calculated.

"I just don't want to be caught in the crossfire, if Tezuka ever find out that you might be stalking him and his boyfriend on their date." Renji said calmly.

Inui got to his feet. "It's not _stalking_, Renji. It's data collecting. Well then. Wish…"

"Wish me luck, was what you were trying to say. Oh well, you'll need it. Would you like me to give you your last rites?" Yanagi asked.

"Reserve it for later. There is a 50 percent chance I'd need it if Tezuka catches me. See you some other time, kyojyu."

"See you, hakase." Yanagi turned his attention back to his breakfast, while Inui left the restaurant and headed in the same direction the two captains were going.

XXX

"Ta daa! Oishi! What do you think of this flavour?" Kikumaru was grinning as he held up a new tube of toothpaste before his doubles partner.

Oishi glanced at it. "Aloe Vera? That sure is new. I thought your favourite flavour was green tea?"

"I decided to try something new for once. Ah. Here's that wonderful grape flavoured one I've tried at your house before. I'm buying it too cause it was really nice."

Just then, Kikumaru's mobile phone began ringing. The acrobatic player dumped his load of toothpastes into Oishi's arms and picked up his phone. "Hoi hoi. Kikumaru Eiji here."

"_Kikumaru. It's Inui._"

"Ah, Inui. What's up?"

"_Is Oishi with you?_" The data master asked on the other end.

"Of course he is. We're at the sale now. 50 percent off a lot of things, including toothpaste!" The acrobatic player exclaimed happily.

"_Ah good. It's a date_." Inui said.

Kikumaru turned crimson. "It's NOT a date. We're only going out for an outing." He spluttered into the phone.

Inui gave a chuckle at that. "_I'm not talking about the both of you. I'm talking about Tezuka and Echizen. They're on a date. I'm following them for the sake of data. Would you like to join me?_"

"Of course, of course! Where are you?" Kikumaru asked excitedly.

Once Inui had told him of his current location, Kikumaru ended the call and grabbed the toothpaste out of Oishi's arms. "Hurry up. We have to pay for these fast and catch up with Inui."

"What's going on? Is someone injured?" the motherhen asked, confused.

"Of course not, Oishi. It's a date, it's a date!" Kikumaru exclaimed, not noticing all the funny stares he was getting from other shoppers at that.

They managed to pay for their purchases in good time (for a lot of people had given them a wide berth after the proclamation of the 'date', and the Golden Pair found the line all to themselves).

Kkumaru was the first to run out of the shop, with Oishi running behind him, holding their purchases. The acrobatic player found Inui soon enough…for he collided right into him.

"Itai…ah, Inui. Gomen, gomen. So where are Tezuka and ochibi?" Kikumaru asked, bouncing on the spot excitedly.

Oishi glanced at them both. "Tezuka and Echizen…don't tell me…Eiji, the date you were referring to was theirs?"

"Of course! Let's go see how they're doing, Oishi." Kikumaru chirped.

Oishi pursed his lips. "Tezuka will be angry if he finds out. Let's go home, Eiji."

Inui pulled Oishi aside and whispered to his ear. "I've calculated a 99 percent chance that you wouldn't be able to dissuade Kikumaru from his current target, so you might as well tag along and make sure he stays out of trouble. You're the only one who can make sure that he behaves himself."

Oishi seemed to think about for a while. He sighed, resigning to his fate. "I'm going to regret this." He trailed after his doubles partner.

Inui grinned. He had calculated a 90 percent chance that Oishi would be curious enough to join them. Data never lied.

XXX

"Aniki. I can walk perfectly fine by myself. You don't have to hold my hand like that."

"Now now, Yuuta. If I don't hold your hand, we might get separated in this crowd." Fuji said cajolingly. It was a weekend, and the amusement park was more crowded than usual.

Yuuta looked around. "It's been a while since we last came to the amusement park, and it sure has changed a lot. There are quite a number of new rides here."

Fuji chuckled. "We were only children when we last came here, so of course they'd be changes. Saa…want to go on one of those rides?" Fuji's smile widened as he gestured towards one of the roller coasters, with a lot of drops and loops.

Yuuta gulped. He was not particularly fond of roller coasters, all thanks to his baka aniki. Back when they were much younger, when his older brother had taken him on his first roller coaster ride, his aniki had reassured him that there was nothing to be afraid of, that it was just like playing on a swing.

He should have known better than to trust his aniki on that. Yuuta recalled screaming bloody murder at the drops. If that wasn't scary enough, his brother was laughing softly, with his blue eyes open, and a sadistic gleam in those sapphire diamonds.

Seeing his brother still waiting eagerly for an answer, Yuuta folded his arms. "I'll pass."

Fuji chuckled. He turned back to face the front, only to notice two very familiar people standing not too far before him. Wait a minute, what were the two of them doing here? They usually wouldn't come to this place, especially not a certain bespectacled brunette.

"Yuuta. Let's go get some ice-cream." Fuji hurriedly steered his younger brother away, not wishing to corrupt him.

They managed to eat at least two scoops of confectionary before Fuji's phone rang. The tensai picked it up. "Hello?"

"_Fuji. It's Inui. Tezuka and Echizen are on a date now. Want to join us?_"

"I know that. They walked right past me without seeing me."

Inui passed the message to whoever was with him. Fuji could hear his best friend's excited chatter over the other end, as well as Oishi's worried voice, trying to shush his doubles partner.

"_Where are you now, Fuji?_" Inui asked.

Fuji glanced around, looking for a good landmark. "Meet me at the entrance of Nightmare Coaster."

He ended the call and turned to his younger brother, who was so preoccupied with staring at a few of the booths that he hadn't heard the conversation.

"Gomen, Yuuta. We'll have to cut our date short. Some other time then." Fuji apologized.

Yuuta shrugged. "I was going to meet Mizuki-san after this anyway for training."

No sooner had the words left Yuuta's mouth when he found his aniki's eyes open, blue diamonds hard. "What? You're going to meet that guy?" Fuji asked dangerously.

Yuuta gave a sheepish laugh. "It's only training, aniki. Besides, the Kisarazu twins would be joining us too. Well, I'll be going now. Ja ne, aniki." Yuuta fled.

Fuji was highly tempted to follow his brother to make sure that Mizuki wouldn't be up to any funny business. He remembered his previous appointment with Inui and headed towards the roller coaster.

Surely enough, Inui and the Golden Pair were there. Kikumaru bounced over to him. "Fuji, Fuji. Did you see Tezuka and the ochibi?"

"When I last saw them, they were playing a few games at the booth." Fuji told him.

Inui was scribbling in his notebook. "It's such a rare chance to find Tezuka coming to these places. Usually it would be Momo and Echizen coming here. Has Tezuka ever come to this place before?" Inui asked, his question directed at Oishi.

Tezuka's best friend looked thoughtful. "Not that I know of."

Inui turned his attention back to his notebook. "The things Echizen would be able to make Tezuka do. Ii data."

The couple could be seen heading towards the roller coaster. Inui raised an eyebrow, while Fuji's eyes opened. "Now that was unexpected."

"Let's go, let's go. They're in their own world anyway, and would probably not notice us." Kikumaru attempted to drag Oishi onto the ride. Sadly, the motherhen had a rather faint heart, and he did not dare to go for it.

Fuji laid a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "I'll go with you, Eiji."

"Sankyuu, Fuji. Let's go!" They boarded the coaster, sitting a few seats behind Tezuka and Echizen. Kikumaru watched the two eagerly, but both of them weren't even speaking, looking on straight ahead as the ride started. How boring.

The coaster made a plunge, and Kikumaru, like many others, was screaming from fright. Fuji began a low chuckle next to him that Kikumaru was sure would give him nightmares for days.

Tezuka and Echizen hadn't said anything. When the ride ended, the two got out of the coaster. Echizen could be seen speaking softly to Tezuka.

"I'm never going on that again." Kikumaru wailed.

Fuji shushed him urgently, dragging his best friend to hide behind a few people. Tezuka seemed to have heard Kikumaru's voice, for he was glancing around, frowning slightly.

Tezuka gave up on searching after a while, and was now speaking to Echizen again. The two had gone for bumper cars.

The ones spying on them split into two groups, going on two different rides so that they'd have different vantage points. The Golden Pair was on the Merry-Go-Round, which was on the left of the Bumper Cars. Fuji and Inui went on the Spinning Teacups, which were on the right of the Bumper Cars.

"Oishi, Oishi. Take a look at Tezuka." Kikumaru had a hard time suppressing his laughter.

Oishi saw why though. His best friend was taking the game so seriously. He was so rule abiding that he just refused to bump into any other cars, foiling the actual purpose of the whole ride. It was funny seeing Ryoma trying to hit him, and Tezuka dodging his boyfriend's car.

Meanwhile, Inui and Fuji were observing the pair from where they were seated. Inui was scribbling into his notebook…or at least, he was attempting to scribble into his notebook, and doing a poor job at it. For Fuji was spinning the teacup rapidly, and all Inui could see around him were a blur of colours.

"Could you stop that, Fuji. I can't write." Inui muttered, a little green.

Fuji's smile widened. "Saa. Might as well enjoy the ride while we're on it."

In the end, it was the Golden Pair who collected more data regarding the pair's bumper car experience. Inui was too dizzy to do so, and he had staggered off the ride, looking ready to hurl. Fuji merely smiled innocently at the Golden Pair's questioning glances.

When Tezuka and Echizen went on the Ferris Wheel, the Golden Pair joined them, sitting in one of the other gondolas.

"Whoa! How romantic. Ochibi is holding Tezuka's hand." Kikumaru was giving a narrative.

Oishi tugged him back down. "Sit down, Kikumaru. The gondola's going to rock if you stand up. Also, what if Tezuka or Echizen spotted you."

There were several times when the two ducked down to avoid Tezuka's line of vision, and both breathed a sigh of relief when they got off.

Tezuka and Echizen soon went to another booth, and both were having a challenge of knocking cans down by hitting the balls with bats.

"So in the end, those two still play the games like tennis anyway. Trust them to play by their strengths." Kikumaru chuckled.

Inui remembered he hadn't called someone to join them on their current data-collecting trip. He dialed a number on his phone and listened for a moment.

"_Moshi moshi_?" A faint hissing sound could be heard over the other end.

"Kaidou. Would you like to join me at the amusement park? It's a date."

There was a short moment's pause. "_Wh-what did you say, Inui-senpai?_"

"It's a date, of course. Are you interested? I'll be waiting for you."

There was a horrified scream from the other end, and the line went dead. Inui glanced at his phone, frowning. What was that about. Oh well, he supposed Kaidou wouldn't be joining them on their Tezuka-Echizen spying trip.

Tezuka and Ryoma had both gathered a crowd around the booth thanks to their game, and before long, both of them were mobbed, and the two began running for their lives.

"Let's catch up with them." Inui instructed, and the four jogged to catch up with the two captains.

They lost sight of the two though, for those two had been running very fast.

"Mou…we lost them." Kikumaru groaned.

Inui closed his notebook. "What a pity."

XXX

"Taka-san! More Ebi Sushi please." Momoshiro raised a hand, placing another order.

Kawamura smiled at him as he came with the order. "Hai. Ebi Sushi. Please enjoy."

"Of course. Let me feed you, Ann." Momoshiro said happily.

Ann threw her boyfriend an amused glance. "Mou, Takeshi. That's too childish."

"What's so childish about pampering my girlfriend." Momoshiro looked up just as the door opened again. He dropped the sushi in surprise.

Both Tezuka and Echizen walked in, looking as if they had participated in a 600 metres dash. The two didn't notice him, as they walked over to sit before the counter, striking a conversation with Kawamura.

"It's a date." Ann spoke up, noticing them.

"I can see that." Momoshiro stated. His phone rang. "Moshi moshi."

"_Momo. Want to go out for some burgers?_" Kikumaru's voice could be heard on the line.

"I'm on a date now, Eiji-senpai. By the way, Tezuka-senpai and Echizen had just walked into Kawamura Sushi."

There was a flurry of sounds over the other end of the line as Kikumaru repeated that sentence to who knew how many people near him. After a while, Kikumaru's voice could be heard again. "_Momo. We won't be going into that place cause it would be easy for Tezuka to catch us. Just tell us, what are they doing there?_"

"We? What's going on at the other side, Eiji-senpai?" Momoshiro asked.

"_Nothing, nothing. Just tell us what are they doing?_"

Momoshiro observed his best friend and the K-High captain. "Etou…Echizen had just ordered set D and Tezuka-senpai had ordered set B."

"_I see. Echizen has ordered Tezuka's favourite food, and Tezuka has ordered Echizen's favourite food._" This voice was unmistakably Inui's.

Kikumaru gave a laugh. "_How cute, those two. Ne, Momo, what else?_"

Poor Momo found himself playing narrator, even though he was supposed to be on his own date now. "Ah, Echizen had just choked. Apparently his set had wasabi sushi." He narrated after some time.

"_Nani?! Mou! Tezuka is NOT romantic at all._" Kikumaru sounded indignant.

"Tezuka-senpai is patting Echizen on the back and giving him a drink. That's pretty romantic, I guess." Momoshiro told his senior.

He noticed the two getting up to leave. "They're heading out."

"_Ok. Thank you, Momo._"

"You're welcome." Momoshiro ended the call and turned back to his neglected girlfriend. "Now then. Where were we?"

XXX

The gang had been waiting outside Kawamura Sushi. They continued on their pursuit once the two captains emerged from the shop.

Along the way, they had, surprisingly, bumped into Atobe, who had just stepped out of a posh restaurant.

"Oh? And what are you peasants doing here?" The diva had no sooner said that when he found himself shushed.

"We're following Tezuka and ochibi. Nice seeing you, Atobe." They tried to walk on.

A vein popped in Atobe's head. "Such bravery. Are you all intending to leave ore-sama out of this?"

The diva joined their group of busybodies…er…data collectors. They noticed that the two were heading towards the same hill where they had watched the sunrise last year.

"Oh? So now Echizen is following Tezuka's hobby. Your captain loves to hike." He informed his former teammates.

"That ochibi. He wasn't so eager to hike up the hill last year. Gave us so much trouble trying to convince us to go with us too." Kikumaru complained.

Oishi laughed weakly. "Calm down, Eiji. It's different for Echizen now that he's hiking with Tezuka instead."

The five of them trailed behind the two. Throughout the journey to the top of the hill, the captains barely spoke. Tezuka had taken Ryoma's hand several times though, while helping him climb up the hill.

They reached the top, and the five hid behind bushes as they regained their breath. Just ahead of them, the two had little conversation. It was not needed though, for Tezuka's actions were affectionate, as he was running his hands through Ryoma's hair, and the other boy was leaning against him.

"Oh. So Tezuka has a romantic side to him. I almost thought their relationship was beyond boring." Atobe smirked.

Atobe looked at a toy monkey, which Echizen was holding. Oishi whispered to him that Tezuka had won it from one of the game booths earlier on, and he had given it to Echizen.

"I wonder what Echizen's going to do with that. I don't think he's the type to play with plush toys." Atobe smirked again.

Apparently Tezuka had asked a similar question at that moment. Ryoma lifted the toy up before his face and, in a rather arrogant tone, spoke up, "That's easy. I'm going to name it Atobe, then I'm going to let Karupin tear it up."

The Golden Pair had barely managed to restrain Atobe, who was attempting to hop out of the bushes and give Echizen a piece of his mind.

Their movements made the bushes rustle, and Ryoma's sharp gaze turned to their direction. All of them froze, hoping that those golden eyes wouldn't notice them.

The bushes rustled again, this time blown by the wind. Tezuka took off his jacket and wrapped it around Ryoma.

"Good move, Tezuka. According to my calculations, there is a 99 percent chance Echizen's going to kiss him for it." Inui said approvingly.

"I think it's more likely for Tezuka to kiss Echizen than the other way around." Fuji said.

Inui was right, as Ryoma was the one to initiate the kiss. "Data never tells lies." Inui grinned.

"Whoa. I never knew ochibi could be so aggressive." Kikumaru watched on excitedly as Ryoma pulled Tezuka's head down.

"According to my data. Just 10 inches more and they'd kiss. 7. 3. 1."

"Yes! Go ochibi!" Kikumaru gave an excited cheer.

Too loud!

The two halted just mere centimeters from each other, both now glaring at the five's hiding spot. If looks could kill, all of them would be dead a hundred times over.

"That wasn't within my calculations…" Inui sighed.

"Kikumaru, 100 laps!" Tezuka was furious. Fuji had managed to take a picture of their near kiss, and the tensai looked pretty contented, even though Tezuka was now marching towards them with fury blazing in his light brown eyes.

"Care to explain what all of you are doing here?" Tezuka asked, his voice dangerous.

"Well…" Oishi shifted his gaze away, not looking at his best friend.

"We were…intending to watch the sunrise?" Kikumaru laughed nervously.

Tezuka swept his glare over them, and all of them avoided his gaze. Already, some of them could see their lives flashing before their eyes.

"If I catch any of you following us again, you'd all be doing more than running laps." Tezuka's voice promised murder.

As Tezuka left with Ryoma, this round, no one followed them.

Kikumaru was the first to break the silence. "He…didn't really mean it right? I mean, what's the worst punishment he could give us, aside from running laps till sundown?"

"I don't want to know." Oishi muttered.

XXX

It was getting late. Tezuka knew that Ryoma had a curfew, and walked him to his house first. The sun was setting, and both of them were bathed in an orange glow.

Tezuka swallowed, not sure how Ryoma would react to what he had to tell him. He slowed his steps and Ryoma, noticing that he had stopped, halted as well.

Tezuka took a deep breath. "Ryoma…actually, about the holidays. I wouldn't be able to go with you on a date so often. As I've mentioned earlier, I will be helping my grandfather out during the holidays."

He gave a sigh and continued on. "My grandfather has already instructed me to deal with one of his classes once the holidays began. He had only retired from the police dojo a year back, and had opened this dojo so that he can continue on his passion for martial arts, while taking it easy. He had his hands full currently, and he will need all the help I can give him."

His grandfather retired from the police dojo after the doctors told him that he had high blood pressure, and needed to take it easy. His stubborn grandfather refused to be completely retired though, and he opened a dojo, accepting members of the public as his students. Tezuka's consolation was at least the current job was less stressful to his grandfather as compared to his old one.

Not surprisingly, since he had only opened the dojo not too long ago, he was short on trainers. Tezuka's father had asked him to help his grandfather out. The patriarch had too much pride in him to ask Kunimitsu himself to do so, but after Tezuka's parents managed to talk to him, even he had to agree that Tezuka's skills were more than adequate for teaching a small group. His grandfather had assigned him to the youngest group this round, probably to test him. Not that Tezuka actually minded. He was pretty sure he could handle kids just fine.

He now turned to study Ryoma's reaction to the news. Was the boy going to be disappointed?

To his surprise, Ryoma merely shook his head and gave a snort. The younger boy took his hand. "It's my turn to drop the bomb on you. I'm afraid this will be the last date we'll be having in a while, Kunimitsu."

Tezuka stiffened at that. Good grief. Even if Ryoma was upset, he didn't need to take it _that_ far. Was he implying what Tezuka thought he was implying?

His expression must have shown on his usually controlled face, for Ryoma laughed. "I'm not breaking up with you, silly. During the holidays, my family will be returning to America. We do that at the end of each year."

Ah. So that was it. Tezuka felt relief running through him. The next moment, however, the rest of Ryoma's words sank it. Wait a minute. If Ryoma was gone during the entire duration of the holidays, that would mean Tezuka wouldn't be seeing him for two whole months.

Ryoma might have caught on his feelings, for the boy hurried to reassure him. "We'll keep in contact via-email, just like last year. Try to refrain from making international calls. If I remember correctly, you were nearly slaughtered by your grandfather for it."

Oh, did Tezuka ever remember that clearly. He had gotten quite a lecture from his grandfather. It was a wonder the old man hadn't figured out their relationship by then. Tezuka had to count his lucky stars for it.

They stood in silence. So it was back to e-mails instead of meeting face to face. This was rather nostalgic. "Ne, Ryoma."

His boyfriend looked up at being addressed. Tezuka smiled at him. "This was how it all began, wasn't it? Us."

Ryoma nodded. Tezuka remembered that it was at this very bridge when he had first gathered the courage to ask for Ryoma's e-mail address. It was the start of their relationship, and back then, Ryoma seemed to have nothing but admiration for him. For his feelings to develop into what there were now, they sure have gone far.

He never regretted asking Ryoma out. They might have had several hurdles in their relationship, but they've managed to pass that, and their relationship was stronger than ever. Everything was a wonderful, learning experience for the both of them.

"Ne, Kunimitsu." Ryoma was looking at him now. "What do you think our relationship will be like in the future?"

That question made Tezuka thoughtful. He'd be lying if he said their relationship would be smooth sailing all the way. Hardly. They'd more likely be shot down if their relationship was found out by the wrong people.

"I don't know." He answered honestly.

Ryoma looked a little put out by that answer. Tezuka glanced at his boyfriend. Just by staring at him, his mind had come up with a conclusion. This was the person he'd want to be with, for a long, long time.

He wrapped one arm around Ryoma's shoulders, pulling him close. "Whatever the future is like for us, we'll walk together, one step at a time." He told the younger boy.

That seemed to have made Ryoma happier, for his golden eyes shone slightly.

"Usu." Their interlinked hands held fast, sealing the vow.

**The End**

A/N: That's the end of this chapter too. Bad news, the back to back fic has come to an end.

Good news…it's not the end of Life After Seigaku just yet. There will be one more extra chapter…or two…depending on whether I can squeeze everything into one chapter.

I will only be putting up the extra chapter in Life After Seigaku. Echizen, Our Buchou has already reached its conclusion. No more chapters for that one.

This extra chapter will be a one-shot epilogue and a short sequel for both Echizen, Our Buchou and Life After Seigaku.

Anonymous reviews from Echizen, Our Buchou and Life After Seigaku will be replied in that chapter.

**Please Read and Review. No Flames Please.**

-Gwyn


	26. Extra Chapter

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. I've just kidnapped them temporarily for my fanfiction. I do own the idea of my fics though.**

**Warning: May contain spoilers for the latest manga chapters. Shonen-ai fic.**

**Pairings: Tezuka X Echizen, Momoshiro X Ann, Sanada X Yukimura.**

**A/N: **Note that this chapter is a one-shot short sequel to the back-to-back fics, Echizen, Our Buchou and Life After Seigaku. This chapter can stand by its own, and there is no supporting chapter for this in the other fic.

The sequel would follow after I'm done with this fic…and one other one.

A number of readers have been curious as to what would it be like if Echizen were to go to senior high. I hope this one-shot would satisfy your curiosity. (grins)

**Sereniti**, ehehe. Yes I am evil. They've had plenty of chances to kiss in the previous chapters, and I just can't resist torturing them a little since that was the last chapter.

**Quill**, I think if the fangirls had been us, then yes, there would definitely be a yaoi club. Ah well. They'd have than enough chances to kiss in the sequel…provided I post it up. XD. Don't you just wish that the Rikkai's uniform was white too? Imagine, both Tezuka and Yukimura all drenched in the rain…I think Sanada and Ryoma would gauge our eyes out first. ::shudders::

**forgotten hyoshi,** Saa…I'll see about the sequel. Not too confident if I can finish it at the moment. Lol. Good luck with your homework and school.

**Kira**, glad you liked the last chapter. And thx for the compliment. ::blush::

**silentxangel**, glad you liked the 'dragonball' tennis. Really was supernatural. XD

**HEIDI**, ehehe. Yeah. I think a lot of readers were disappointed to not see them kiss. In fact, I think Tez and Ryo themselves were pretty disappointed. ::evil grin::

To the story then…

**Life After Seigaku**

By: Gwynhafra

Extra Chapter

Two years later

It was early spring, the start of the new school term. Students could be seen chattering happily as they entered the gates to one huge, elegant building, with the words 'Kanto High School' standing out proudly for everyone to see.

It was a time when friends would exchange greetings, catching up with those they haven't met during the holidays. It was also a time for new students to arrive at the high schools they have enrolled themselves in, getting themselves familiar with the place they would be spending three years of their lives in.

A gust of wind blew past, showering the entrance with leaves and blossoms. Two individuals walked through the gates, side by side. One was a bespectacled brunette, and the other wore a white fila cap, which covered black-green hair.

The shorter of the two adjusted his cap, looking up at his new school. "Hmm? This place hasn't changed at all since the last time I came here."

"That's of course." Both of them looked up when they heard the P.A. system switched on.

"My loyal subjects. Welcome to the new term at Kanto High school. Assembly will be in 20 minutes, the school hall. Be awed by ore-sama's magnificent voice."

The P.A. system switched off. Both of the boys remained rooted on the spot.

"So he's the new student council president?" The cap-wearing boy asked.

"Aa." The brunette responded.

The boy pulled his cap down. "Mada mada dane."

XXX

With the admission of the black-green haired boy into Kanto High school, Tezuka was looking forward to the rest of the school term…

"Would you want to fight, baka Momoshiro?"

"Bring it on, Mamushi!"

…or not…

It was a happy reunion for most of the former Seigaku regulars. Momoshiro had, last year, joined this school. To all the seniors' surprise, Kaidou hadn't gone to Rikkai Dai, the high school they speculated he would be enrolling in. Instead, he landed in Kanto High school too. The two rivals were fighting on the day of the entrance exams, when they ended up being in the same exam hall, and found out they were both targeting the same school. They were fighting on the very first day of their freshman year, and now, on the day club activities began, they were fighting, again.

Tezuka sighed, massaging his temples as he mentally calculated how many laps those two would be running. Rivalry died hard between those two. No matter how much older they get, they'd still be squabbling like children.

"Yare yare. Things sure look lively here. Those two still at it, Fuji?" A voice asked.

The regulars turned around. "Ah. It's you, Kantarou." Fuji greeted his former doubles partner Asakawa, who was now the track team's captain.

"Momo and Kaidou would never stop fighting. It's already part of their nature." Kikumaru grinned.

Oishi looked worried. "At this rate, Tezuka's going to pop a vein." He whispered to the others.

Asakawa looked mildly sympathetic. "Poor guy. If it isn't bad enough there are two bitter rivals during his captainship, there are another two here to add to his troubles.

"Fuahahahaha!" -Atobe

"Fuahahahaha!" -Echizen

Tezuka sighed again, the pounding in his head increasing. If it wasn't bad enough he had Momoshiro and Kaidou to deal with, his vice-captain and his boyfriend were NOT helping things either.

Even on the first day of club practice, the two were already having a competition of pride, and not surprisingly, it was causing a lot of the other members to stare at the two super arrogant players.

"Look at that first year. He's challenging Atobe-sama."

"Such a cocky brat." It looked like Ryoma was already attracting dislike from some of the members.

Ryoma threw a challenging stare at the grey-haired diva. "We finally meet again, King of the Monkeys."

"Hmph. Ore-sama's peaceful school life will not be the same again with you here. Oh well, at least I get to shave your head this time." Atobe boasted.

Ryoma smirked. "Hmm? Then you'd have to beat me first."

"What are you waiting for then, ahn? Let's have a match."

Both of them resumed their glaring. "I don't care if you're the prince. In this school, and this club, I am king."

"I'll take the throne from you then." Ryoma countered. Both of them whipped out their hands, which were clenched into fists.

"Rock!"

Tezuka couldn't bear to watch on anymore. This was getting ridiculous. No matter how many times they played this game, it always ended up in a never-ending tie-break.

"Momoshiro, Kaidou, Atobe! 20 laps!" He barked.

The four who were fighting halted their battles instantly. Not wanting to provoke Tezuka's wrath, they obeyed, going off to do their laps.

"Heh. Echizen is spared. I suppose there are benefits in being in a relationship with the captain." Fuji chuckled.

To all their surprise, Tezuka next turned to his boyfriend. "Echizen. 40 laps." He ordered, doubling the amount.

"Eh?!" Everyone gaped. Ryoma said nothing, throwing Tezuka a smirk before jogging off to do his rounds.

Oishi sighed. "Not this captain. Tezuka's probably one of the few odd ones who would be extra strict on his own boyfriend. I think this is his way of disciplining Echizen."

It was relatively peaceful for a while. That was, until the four returned from their laps. It didn't take very long for them to start fighting again.

Oishi threw another worried glance at his best friend. "I don't think it's healthy for Tezuka to eat that many aspirins at once."

"He'd need it though." Asakawa stated, and all of them nodded in agreement.

XXX

"Ochibi! Let's have a round of practice." Kikumaru cheered, glomping the freshman. His antics drew curious stares from the other club members, who were all wondering who this first year was, that all the regulars seemed to be quite familiar with him.

Ryoma sighed. That nickname was going to stick to him permanently at this rate. His growth spurt ended when he was a third year in junior high, making him once more, the shortest amongst the regulars. Not that he was a regular just yet, but it was only a matter of time before he would be one. He blamed his baka oyaji for being so short, and passing all those bad genes to him.

All his seniors had grown taller, again. Tezuka was the tallest amongst the regulars, followed on by Kaidou, Momoshiro, Oishi, Kikumaru, Atobe and lastly, Fuji. Ryoma hoped to at least catch up to Fuji's height, since the tensai was only a few inches taller than he was.

"Not now, Eiji. The first years will have to assemble, and since Echizen is not a regular yet, he can't be excluded." Oishi told his doubles partner.

Ryoma adjusted his cap. "Ceh. It's only a matter of time anyway." He obeyed though, falling in line with those in his year.

The club had two vice-captains this year. The official one was Atobe, who refused to relinquish his position, and Tezuka couldn't win him in a Peasant's Game to persuade him otherwise. However, Tezuka had appointed Oishi as the unofficial vice-captain, to lessen the burden for Atobe, since the diva had to juggle between his position as K-High vice-captain and the student council president.

Oishi welcomed the new members to the club, giving them a brief talk on the rules and regulations, and allowed them to have a round of practice. Ryoma couldn't help wishing his former vice-captain was with him. At least amongst the first years, that guy would have been a challenge to him, but no, Takahiro Haruka just had to go enroll himself in Rikkai Dai.

He sighed in boredom, not even needing to move an inch from the spot as he defeated his year mates, one after another. Some of the club members recognized his achievement in junior high, and they whispered to one another excitedly. Others who didn't recognize him, however, saw him as a threat to their position as regulars.

"Hey there, freshman. You missed a ball here." One of the third years sneered at him as Ryoma and a few other first years were picking up tennis balls. Ryoma easily scooped the ball up with his red racket and bounced it lightly. The tennis ball flew right into the cart.

"There. Finished. Can I leave yet, senpai?" Ryoma asked boredly.

There was a loud clatter as the ball cart was knocked over, and tennis balls were strewn all over the courts, rolling in all directions.

"Oh. So sorry. Looks like you have to start over." All of them guffawed loudly.

Someone came to stand behind Ryoma. "I will not permit anyone bullying the freshmen." A deep voice said.

Ryoma had to hide a smirk as the third years cowered before their imposing captain. Tezuka glared down at them, making them feel extremely small. "Ground, 20 laps. After that, pick up the balls."

"Hai. Right away, Tezuka-buchou." They left.

Ryoma said nothing as he walked past Tezuka, though he touched the senior's arm lightly in a gesture of thanks before walking off.

Tezuka walked in the opposite direction, going off to supervise the sophomores. His and Ryoma's relationship on the courts was formal. He was the captain, Ryoma was a club member. He wouldn't practice favouritism, and Ryoma had known him long enough to not expect him to. By the way they were behaving; no one would even guess that they were boyfriends.

For half an hour, practice was relatively peaceful, that was, until Kikumaru gave a groan. "Ah. Ochibi's getting himself disliked by seniors again." Tezuka looked up from the batch he was observing. Surely enough, a bunch of sophomores and third years looked severely offended by Ryoma's arrogant, apathetic attitude, and a few had surrounded him, trying to either give him a lecture or challenge him to a match.

"We can't really protect him unless he's joined the regulars, cause only then he'd be with our group. For now he's stuck with the non-regulars, and naturally, they wouldn't like him behaving like this. Well, Echizen's to be blamed for being so difficult to socialize with." Fuji said, throwing Tezuka a knowing smile.

Tezuka sighed. "Atobe. Oishi. We'll be holding the selections in a week's time." He began walking in the direction of the chaos.

"Oh? And how are you going to save your dear now?" Atobe smirked.

Tezuka threw him a glare. "I'm not _saving_ him. All of them are disrupting practice. They're running laps."

"Even ochibi?" Kikumaru asked disbelievingly. Wasn't Ryoma the 'victim'?

"All of them." Tezuka said firmly.

Once Tezuka was out of earshot, Oishi gave a sympathetic sigh. "Poor guy. It's not easy being captain."

Atobe smirked. "No. It's more accurate to say that it's not easy being that brat's boyfriend."

XXX

No one else bullied Echizen after he joined the regulars, considering that brat had beaten all the existing regulars flat…well…Atobe and Tezuka had put up a good fight, but they were no match for the 15 year old prodigy. Atobe lost to Echizen, 6-4 (and everyone had to stop Ryoma, who was chasing Atobe with a manic gleam in his eyes and a razor in his hand), while Tezuka engaged him in a long tie-break before losing at 67-69. It was enough to prove that his arrogance was backed by skill.

If that wasn't enough proof, Ryoma had played evenly against their perverted coach. It had been a draw when Tezuka called it to an end (for it was nearly night by then), but it was enough to pass the message across to anyone else who wanted to challenge the golden-eyed prodigy. It helped that all the other regulars were on very familiar terms with Ryoma, the result of them being teammates (or for Atobe's case, rivals) since all the way back in junior high. Ryoma was quite safely protected by his seniors (especially one stoic captain in particular), and while he maintained a Momo-Kaidou relationship with Atobe, the diva too would go in defence of his rival if he needed to (though he'd never admit it).

The addition of Ryoma to the regulars also brought one more change to the K-High team.

"We will now have the match of Doubles 1. K-High, Tezuka-Echizen pair, Roshan High, Shishido-Ootori pair." Everyone gaped as the unexpected combination stepped onto the courts. Well…everyone who was not from K-High anyway.

The Kanto High members had done the same slack-jawed expression when the captain first made the announcement that he would be playing in doubles once the selections were done, and Echizen, the freshman was to be his doubles partner. After a disastrous demonstration of Echizen's doubles ability, where he had been paired with Momoshiro, against the Golden Pair, needless to say everyone had been less than optimistic about the news. They looked helplessly at the regulars, hoping that at least one of them would persuade the captain and bring him back to his senses, but to the non-regulars' surprise, each of the K-High regulars seemed to be smiling at the news, as if they had expected that already. The regulars knew that Tezuka and Echizen probably wanted to spend time on the courts, since that would be the last year they'd be able to do so. Tezuka and the third years were graduating by the end of the year anyway.

Currently, the two stood before the Silver Pair. Tezuka gave them his usual calm stare, while Ryoma merely smirked. Roshan High's supporters were delighted at their stroke of fortune. It was true that if this were Singles, Tezuka or Echizen would have been very lethal, pulverizing their opponents without showing any mercy. However, this was Doubles, something extremely foreign to the both of them as smiling was to Tezuka, or humility was to Echizen. For the two notoriously bad doubles player to be placed as doubles partners, surely the match belonged to Roshan High.

They couldn't have been more wrong…

"Game and match, won by, Tezuka-Echizen pair, 6 games to 3."

The two walked off the courts. Ryoma was tapping his racket against one shoulder and was yawning exaggeratedly. "Mada mada dane." He muttered.

Considering this was their first official doubles match, everyone began whispering amongst themselves. Weren't these two supposed to be impossible at doubles?

"They really are different from what we've heard so far. It is said that both of them are limited to only Singles, but they sure have good chemistry on the courts." Ootori commented as he handed a water bottle over to Shishido.

Oshitari gave a suspicious cough at that. "You have no idea." He said quietly. Gakuto threw him a confused look, but Oshitari merely smiled, giving no explanations to his statement.

"Takku. It really was overkill, putting those two monsters on the courts. I was hoping they'd collide." Shishido grumbled.

Ootori chuckled. "That wasn't a very nice thing to say, Shishido-san. Still, we were lucky that we had way more experience in doubles. Otherwise, we wouldn't have won those 3 games."

Meanwhile, the two K-High players returned to their seats. "Interesting lineup, buchou." Ryoma smirked slightly, handing the captain a towel.

Tezuka opened a can of Ponta and handed it to his younger boyfriend. "Back when we were in Seigaku, our greatest weakness had been doubles. If the Golden Pair was defeated, we would only have random combinations left. We had too many Singles players, but too few doubles players. I'm not too worried about Singles. We have Momo, Kaidou or Fuji for Singles 3 or 2, and we have Atobe for Singles 1."

"Ceh. The Monkey King gets the limelight." Ryoma sounded mildly unsatisfied at that thought.

Tezuka stared down at his young pillar. "He is the best for that position, with the both of us in Doubles. Whatever it is, we'd still be returning to Singles if it were the stronger opponents like Sanada or Yukimura. When we do, Momoshiro and Kaidou, or Atobe and Fuji can take over the position as doubles. I think those two combinations should do fine."

"I would love to see Momo-senpai and Kaidou-senpai placed in doubles again." Ryoma gave a slightly evil smile, watching as the two mentioned sneezed simultaneously. Even that had triggered a fight between the two rivals, and Ryoma watched as vice-captain Oishi tried to break them apart.

"Provided they don't kill each other first." Tezuka stated calmly before taking a sip from his bottle.

For most of the matches, they didn't have much problems with the opponents, since both of their skills were of a different level from most opponents. However, they were not an undefeatable pair. They did have some difficulties when it came to the District Games. Apparently, both their opponents were of a godlike level too.

"It's good to see you again, Tezuka. Echizen-kun." Yukimura, captain of Rikkai Dai, smiled warmly.

Tezuka said nothing, his stoic face identical to vice-captain Sanada's serious expression. He had long learnt that Yukimura's smile was very much like Fuji's, seemingly gentle, but was actually hiding a very cunning nature. For Rikkai to send this unexpected doubles combination to handle the K-High pair, Tezuka suspected that it was part of Yukimura's plan as well.

Not surprisingly, that game had turned into a never-ending tie-break. The K-High pair knew each other so well that they covered for each other without colliding. Then again, the Rikkai pair was the same. In fact, the Rikkai pair had the upper hand, for both Sanada and Yukimura were fairly experienced in doubles, while Tezuka and Echizen were novices at this.

"Man…is this never going to end?" Kikumaru groaned. While the match was very elegant, with the four best players battling on the courts, their feet were starting to hurt from standing so long. If they sat, they wouldn't be able to get such a nice view.

They noticed that Tezuka had not moved from the spot, pivoting on one foot. "So he's decided to use his trump card now?" Atobe smirked.

Yukimura instantly undid the spin, and the ball shot over to Ryoma's side. Ryoma gave Yukimura a bratty smirk before hitting it back. When Yukimura returned it, it went once more into the Tezuka Zone.

"How interesting. Ryoma is directing it back to the Tezuka Zone?" Fuji asked.

Atobe, on the other hand, was staring down at Ryoma's feet. "No. He hasn't moved either. He's using the Echizen Zone too."

This caught the Rikkai pair by surprise. Double Zone, Tezuka and Echizen's trump card in doubles. Both of them were such masters at controlling the amount of spins on the ball that they could easily guide the shots either to themselves or to each other. Unlike the Tezuka or Echizen Zone in Singles, this one was much harder to predict, since the amount of spins, and even the direction of the spins were always changing.

"You've got to be joking! There's no way we're going to be caught by that skill. Strike Like Lightning!" Sanada used one of his ultimate elements, Rai. Lightning allowed him to attack anywhere with the speed of light, and it bended at a very rough angle, like a thunderbolt.

Ryoma's racket was knocked out of his hand by the fury of Sanada's attack. He clutched his wrist, which had gone temporarily numb from the power of the Rikkai vice-captain's shot.

"Ryoma!" Tezuka was next to him in a flash.

Ryoma shook his head. "I'm alright. That skill just caught me by surprise." He picked up his racket and moved back to his position.

Tezuka took it rather personally. Eyes narrowed, the K-High's captain's serve was a tad more lethal than before. It wasn't just that serve. Each stroke of his racket was more forceful, and had more power than before.

Sanada understood that it was Tezuka's challenge, and somehow, the match became rather like Singles. Sanada was zipping around the courts, using his 'Rai' skill, while Tezuka was making his shots go out with his Tezuka Phantom.

"Don't, Genichirou. The burden would be too much on your legs!" Yukimura warned.

"Kunimitsu! Your arm!" Ryoma too sounded mildly worried.

When the two got determined, however, they had a tendency to ignore any danger to their physical health. They battled it out, and both Yukimura and Ryoma had little success in trying to persuade them out of it.

Both of them gritted their teeth, feeling the pain that was seeping into their gradually injured limbs. Determined to win the match no matter what, Tezuka ignored the burden on his arm as he used Tezuka Phantom repeatedly. Sanada too was using Rai like there was no tomorrow.

"Enough!" Two voices rang out at the same time, stopping the captain of K-High and the vice-captain of Rikkai in their tracks.

A hand held onto Tezuka's arm firmly, and the K-High captain looked down to see Ryoma's blazing golden gaze. The first year gave a shake of his head, then turned to the referee. "We will concede this match." Ryoma told the man.

"I can still continue on." Tezuka said, not wishing to hand the match over to Sanada's side so easily.

"We will concede the match too." Yukimura's voice was clear and filled with strength. The Rikkai captain gave Ryoma a nod. "It's a pity, but our partners' are injured. We will resume this match some other time."

"Usu." Ryoma promptly marched his boyfriend out of the courts, just as the referee declared the match to be a 'no-game'.

"Really, Ryoma. I could still continue on." Tezuka said quietly. Ryoma, who was in the process of getting an ice pack for the captain's arm, frowned. The prodigy took the ice pack and, with a bratty glint in his eyes, dumped it down Tezuka's shirt instead. The K-High captain gave a soft hiss, flinching from the cold.

"Like hell you can still continue on. As much as I want to win the match, I don't want you to re-injure your arm." Ryoma scowled. He took another ice pack, and this round he tended to Tezuka's arm for real, his eyebrows knitted as he studied the damage. It seemed that both he and Yukimura had stopped the match before the injuries had become really serious, but it still gave him a twinge seeing the faint redness on Tezuka's overburdened arm.

Nanjirou, having more experience with examining tennis-related injuries, came to check Tezuka's arm. The former pro returned to the bench once he had finished his examination of the limb. "You should consider yourself lucky the injuries aren't that serious. Ah, the brashness of youth."

Ryoma dropped himself onto the bench, just next to Tezuka. "It doesn't matter even if we get a draw here. It's only the District games, and they won't be so lucky the next time. However, I won't forgive you if you got your old injury aggravated and got yourself landed in Kyuushu again. I won't forgive you if you leave me alone here."

Tezuka glanced at his boyfriend. Ryoma was vaguely hinting that he was dead worried for him. It was touching, for his boyfriend to be so vocal about his wellbeing. "I understand, Ryoma." He touched Ryoma's hand lightly, trying to convey his apologies.

Ryoma pulled down his cap, trying to hide the small smile on his face indicating that he got the message, and he wasn't so angry anymore. "Mada mada dane, Kunimitsu."

Kanto High had, thankfully, won the District Games anyway, for Atobe had bagged Singles 1, beating Inui. While most of the K-High regulars spent the day celebrating their victory, the regulars had to spend their time preventing Atobe and Ryoma from going into another competition of pride.

Tezuka sighed, rummaging through his bag for his aspirins. At this rate, he was going to consume those pills as Momoshiro did burgers…

XXX

The next big event for the tennis club was Co-curricular Day. Ever since Kanto High's headmaster had started the tradition of holding the school anniversary and Co-curricular Day back to back two years ago, most people would look forward to seeing the tennis club's contribution, on the second day of the three-day-event, especially.

For on that day, all the regulars of the tennis club would be doing a costume parade.

It was all Atobe's doing/fault, actually. The ore-sama had suggested for a costume parade (and a medieval theme at that) during his first year in high school. Somehow, that idea had been, while unwelcome to Tezuka, severely welcome to the rest of the school. In fact, the rest of the school had liked it so much, they had expected the tennis club to do the same theme every year after that.

Atobe, of course, would not let his loyal subjects' hopes down. He had implemented it as part of the K-High tennis club's tradition, and Tezuka had long learnt that attempts to stop him were futile. He was already used to it…as long as Atobe was the one to sponsor the costumes.

Currently, the Kanto High captain was walking towards the clubroom, ignoring the whispers and giggles around him. It wasn't something he was unused to. Somehow, the girls (and some guys) just loved to ogle at him when he was wearing his costume. Right now, he was dressed in a red and gold outfit, made of the finest materials (as Atobe had boasted to him), a fake scabbard and sword attached to his belt, and a crown on his head. He was playing the role of a king, as usual. His mature facial features didn't allow him any other position.

He heard a hoot of laughter from somewhere on his left. Recognizing the voice as Kikumaru's, he frowned and turned towards that direction, walking towards a classroom, wondering what his fellow regular was doing.

"Yadda!" He heard Ryoma's yell come from that direction too, and he quickened his steps.

More laughter. One in particular sounded quite evil. Fuji's. "Come now, Echizen. Don't be shy. It's not like we've never done this before."

"That's right, that's right, ochibi. It's not like we're going to hurt you."

Ryoma gave another loud protest. "Yadda. Keep that thing away from me! I'm not putting that anywhere near my mouth."

"It's not like you're going to swallow it. We're only going to put this to your lips. Look at it, such a lovely red colour." Fuji sounded very persuasive.

Kikumaru had given a grunt of effort. "Stop struggling, ochibi. I'm having difficulties trying to put this on you. I wonder if you'd be more cooperative if I tied you up."

Tezuka barged into the classroom at that moment. "Fuji, Kikumaru! What are you-" his words died off.

The two third years, who were already in full princess gear, were trying to dress Ryoma up too. Fuji held a lipstick in his hand, while Kikumaru was trying to put the gown on Ryoma, and was only halfway done with it. Tezuka found himself staring at more skin than his self-control could handle.

"Oh, Tezuka. How nice of you to join us. Want to help us dress Echizen-chan up?" the tensai asked evilly.

Tezuka remained poker-faced. "No thank you. I'll meet all of you at the clubroom. Don't be late." He said tersely before fleeing in the direction of the nearest bathroom. His high school life was looking bleak. If he didn't die from drug overdose, he'd die of massive blood loss at this rate.

Ryoma looked concerned. "Is buchou alright?" He asked the two seniors, who have resumed their task of getting his costume ready.

"Saa…" Fuji said calmly, while Kikumaru merely sniggered.

XXX

Ryoma vaguely wished his tennis racket was part of his princess prop. He was pretty sure his seniors, especially Momo, Atobe and Kikumaru, could use a clobber to the head.

The minute he had stepped into the clubroom, escorted by the other two 'princesses', those three had been the ones to snicker the loudest. Momoshiro and Kaidou were dressed as Knights, Oishi and Atobe were dressed as Princes. Momoshiro even had the nerve to give a low whistle, as he first studied Ryoma's outfit, then turned his gaze over to Tezuka, watching the captain's reaction. The sophomore looked rather disappointed to see Tezuka so unmoved by Ryoma's costume.

"You should dress like a Princess more, Echizen." His best friend bullied him, and got a glare in reply.

Ryoma gave an irritable sigh. If it wasn't bad enough he had inherited his father's height, he just had to inherit his mother's features as well.

"Maa…Echizen. You should be thankful that your facial features allow you to wear this costume. If only we had you last year. Back then, Momo and Kaidou had been the ones to dress as princesses. Somehow, it didn't quite have the effect we wanted, as it sent all the new members screaming from the club's booth instead. I still have those pictures…"

"Fuji-senpai!" The two sophomores silenced him, both looking equally mortified. Ryoma began snickering; suddenly feeling that he wasn't that bad off dressed as a princess after all.

Kikumaru glanced at Ryoma's gown. "Mou. Not fair. Ochibi's gown is prettier than ours. Atobe, are you being biased? Shouldn't we all have the same type of gown because we're all princesses?"

Atobe gave a regal sweep of his arm. "Kikumaru. Whoever said that he's dressed as a Princess? He's dressed as a Queen."

There was a short moment of silence as all studied Ryoma's gown once again. The patterns were far more intricate, and even the crown resting on the black-green hair looked more elegant than the tiaras Fuji and Kikumaru were wearing.

"That made sense…" Momoshiro muttered, casting a glance in Tezuka's direction, then back at Ryoma. "Though he does look like one awfully young Queen." Ryoma's features were very youthful, not mature like Tezuka's.

"Better a young queen than an overgrown prince." Kikumaru whispered, and both Momo and the acrobatic player began snickering. It was a good thing Tezuka didn't hear what they had said.

Atobe held his head up high. "Now then. Let's make a move on, my loyal subjects. The commoners are waiting for us to grace them with our presence."

"Hoi hoi. Let's go, ochibi okaa-sama." The acrobatic player teased.

Ryoma halted in his steps. He turned around, eyes blazing. "What?!"

"Well, Echizen. We're playing the part of the royal family, and since you're the queen, doesn't that make you the 'mother' of the family?" Fuji asked evilly.

The next moment, the two seniors found themselves chased by a very embarrassed, very red Echizen. "Déjà vu…" Fuji chuckled.

"How could we have forgotten that ochibi actually _can_ run in a gown? Don't let him catch us. You go that way, Fuji. I'll go this way."

A few moments later, there was a terrified yell from Kikumaru. "Fuji! He's chasing me! Help!"

Fuji merely gave a smile. "Rest in peace, Eiji." He said innocently, whipping out his camera. Ryoma was now chasing after Kikumaru, armed with a razor. Kikumaru was sending distress signals to Oishi, who sent an S.O.S. message to Tezuka. In the end, it was Tezuka who had managed to calm the livid boy down.

Tezuka sighed. He knew that it was a bad idea to have let Atobe plan this event in the first place. "Yudan sezu ni ikkou." He told his teammates, while keeping a firm grip on Ryoma's hand to make sure the younger boy didn't lunge after Kikumaru and Fuji again.

XXX

As usual, there were a number of those who came to the booth not to register for the club, but to catch a glimpse of the 'princesses'.

Fuji and Kikumaru had already gathered quite a number of admirers throughout the years, and now those people were back, lingering around in the hopes of catching either of them without their fellow 'princes'. No such luck though, since Oishi, being the motherhen, wouldn't let Kikumaru anywhere out of his sight. Kikumaru only had to step a couple of feet away from him and Oishi would look fit to have a panic attack.

As for Atobe, he had kept people far, far away with his ore-sama speeches, which put them to sleep faster than their history text books did. Fuji wisely kept near the vice-captain, and was therefore safe from any potentially wandering hands.

One of the admirers sighed. "We will never be able to get Kikumaru-sama or Fuji-sama's autographs at this rate. Oh, my Fuji, you're so cruel to me!"

A fellow fanclub member nudged him in the side. "It looks like they have a new member in the team this year. She's quite cute."

"…you do realize that's a boy you're staring at right…?" the first guy asked.

"…she's a boy?" A few whispers of disbelief could be heard.

Ryoma noticed them staring hungrily and inched closer to Tezuka, who glared at them and sent them skittering away.

Unlike Atobe and Oishi, who could dedicate their whole day to the costume parade, Tezuka, being captain, had to supervise the club's activities. He had to go from the booth to check on how the registrations were going, to answering questions for those who wished to inquire about the club or those who have just signed up and wished for more details, to the tennis courts where there was a demonstration going on by some of the non-regulars, and finally to check on his regulars, who were parading around in costumes.

It was exhausting, really, having to run from one end of the school to the other, and Tezuka found himself wondering why this school had to be so huge.

Even as he went on his rounds, however, there was a constant worry nagging at the back of his head. Ryoma remained around the booth, and every time Tezuka went off to check on the club, he worried for his boyfriend. A thousand and one scenarios were popping into his mind as to what could happen if he left his boyfriend alone. He had asked for Momo and Kaidou to never leave the booth, feeling at least a wee bit better if those two could watch over his 'queen'. Not that those two were very efficient, though, Tezuka returned to the booth and, more than once, found them engaged in a duel with their fake 'swords' than actually doing their duty of guarding the queen.

He knew that many, guys and girls alike, were itching to get to Ryoma, whose fresh, new face was a welcome sight to those who have already seen the other members of the club. He could not let his guard down for even one second. He tried, and the next moment found Ryoma nearly whisked off by a hulking third year. A lot tried to lure Tezuka away from the freshman, but found themselves facing a glare which would surely give them a hundred night's worth of nightmares instead.

XXX

Ryoma sighed, brushing his black-green locks out of his face. It was hot, and the gown felt stuffy and heavy. Baka monkey king. Couldn't they have done a costume parade in their regulars' outfit instead? His only consolation was that at least he hadn't needed a wig like Kikumaru-senpai did. His hair had grown longer after the holidays, with the tips of his hair reaching past his collar. Both his make-up artists/senpais/fellow damsels-in-distress -- Fuji and Kikumaru decided that his hair suited his outfit fine, and decided that a wig wasn't necessary.

He threw a sideway glance at his boyfriend, watching as Tezuka repeated, perhaps for the hundredth time that day, the same explanation to a group of people who have stopped by the tennis club booth. He had to admire his boyfriend for his patience. Had it been him, he might have snapped at them and scared them away instead.

Tezuka, while not exuding a rich boy's aura like Atobe did, had an air of authority and charisma around him. He held himself in every way as a captain would, or, considering the current situation, as a king would. Ryoma found himself admiring his boyfriend's back. The outfit, while not overly tight, was rather body-fitting, and Tezuka's finely muscled form was outlined. Ryoma found himself wondering how he'd look like had it been _him_ wearing the same outfit instead.

He stopped himself at that thought. No. His own body was too slender to wear that king's outfit. He had a sinking feeling that he'd be doomed to wear this outfit for the other two years too. In fact, next year onwards, he'd look like a pretty forlorn queen, sitting at this booth without a king. He found himself not looking forward to next year at all.

He averted his gaze before anyone caught him staring. His attention was now caught by Momo and Kaidou, who had, once again, drawn out the fake swords from their respective scabbards, and now both knights were fighting, again.

"Baka Mamushi! Admit it! You look completely awful in that outfit!"

"Do you want to fight, baka Momoshiro?!"

"What do you think we're doing now? Dancing?"

Ryoma smirked as Tezuka gave an irritable sigh, excused himself from the group he had been talking to, and assigned the two knights laps before they made a fool of the tennis club.

The K-High captain then finished his explanation to the group and joined Ryoma at the booth, dropping into the chair next to him.

"You look tired, my lord." Ryoma teased, taking up a false, aristocratic accent.

Tezuka threw him a glance, smiling slightly. While the captain had nothing but irritation written all over his face, Ryoma's playful words had lightened his mood considerably.

"Aa. There are times when I wish I could just play a recording for the newcomers instead, but I would be shirking my responsibilities as captain if I do that." Tezuka sighed, fighting the urge to put his arm around Ryoma's shoulders.

Ryoma smiled at him. "Ganbatte, buchou."

They sat in relative silence. A few times, the other regulars dropped by the booth for a quick break before going off on their parade again, and a few times, one or two of the non-regulars who had been doing a tennis demonstration dropped by the booth with an interested new member, before returning to the tennis courts once the new members had registered.

Momo and Kaidou had returned from their laps. Ryoma couldn't help feeling sorry for them, having to run in that heavy knight's costume. His feeling of pity, however, dissipated when the two began arguing again, their hands resting on the hilt of the swords in a rather threatening manner. Tezuka's lips tightened as he made to get up from his seat and assign them more laps again.

Apparently, someone was faster than him in dousing the flames. A brunette was seen charging in Momoshiro's direction.

"Takeshi!" A cheerful voice greeted, and the 'knight' addressed turned in time to find someone throwing herself at him.

"Ann. You've finally come to the booth." Momoshiro caught his girlfriend in a hug, nuzzling her hair in a very public display of affection. Next to Ryoma, Tezuka had twitched, biting the urge to ask Momo to behave himself.

Tachibana Ann had, last year, enrolled herself in Kanto High, much to Momoshiro's delight (and Kamio's horror). With a handful of other girls, she had started K-High's girls' tennis team, and while the response was nowhere near as good as the boys' tennis team, they had managed to get quite a number of their own gender interested in the sport.

Today, she had been one of those doing a tennis demonstration, and had been unable to meet Momoshiro until now. Needless to say, with his girlfriend beside him, Momoshiro was suddenly standing up every bit straighter, any hunch or slouch missing instantly from his back. He was also acting every bit the gallant character he was dressed up to be, as he suavely took Ann's hand. "Tezuka-buchou, Echizen. We'll be off for a while."

"Aa." Tezuka gave his permission. It was almost the end of day two anyway, and Momo did need a break.

XXX

Tezuka decided to go on his rounds again. The apprehension was stronger this round, with only one 'knight' left. Kaidou was currently preoccupied, for a few of the ladies had requested to take a picture with him, and the blushing viper found himself sandwiched between a number of females older than himself.

Coming to a decision, Tezuka walked over to the back of the booth and took Ryoma's hand, pulling him gently to his feet. His boyfriend gave him a questioning gaze, but he didn't answer. Instead, Tezuka wrapped one arm around Ryoma's waist to make sure the boy remained beside him at all times. He had finally decided that if he wasn't happy about leaving Ryoma alone at the booth, he'd take Ryoma with him on his rounds. He was quite confident in his abilities to protect his boyfriend.

Ryoma playfully snuggled against him. "Are you sure you don't mind this, Kunimitsu?" He asked.

Tezuka gazed down at him. "We're doing the royal family theme anyway. Everyone would think that it's part of the parade, so I'll allow this. Only this time though."

Ryoma smiled. "Usu."

XXXXXX

A few days after the school anniversary, a certain smiling tensai arrived at the tennis courts to find dark clouds in the sky, and a whole flock of crows flying overhead.

The smile remained on his face though, as he calmly walked over to the tennis courts, completely unaffected by the suffocating atmosphere. He walked past a few of the club members (who were frozen in their steps, paralyzed from fear) and calmly opened his tennis bag, retrieving his racket.

The next moment, Kikumaru had thrown his arms around his best friend. "Fuji, it's scary! Make them stop! Make them stop!"

"Hmm? What's scary, Kikumaru?" Fuji asked, feigning ignorance.

Kikumaru gestured with his arms wildly. "Can't you feel it? This air? It feels like we're going to be killed anytime soon!"

Fuji chuckled. "Saa…I wonder why."

Fuji actually wasn't oblivious to what was happening. The non-regulars were perfectly unaware of what was going on, but the regulars, having been around when it happened, knew what they were seeing.

It was a cold war, between no other than the two pillars.

Fuji stepped into the courts, and saw that the war was just as bad as it had been yesterday. Ryoma was sipping on Ponta, sitting far, far away from one bespectacled captain, and having his back turned to him. Tezuka was sitting on one other bench, also far, far away from Ryoma's, tending to the strings of his racket with intense concentration…as well as a little more force than usual. Every sound made from the strings of the racket was like the sharpening of a blade, cutting through the eerily quiet courts. He too had his back turned to Ryoma.

"Those two are still at it again? Honestly, Tezuka gets corrupted pretty easily by his boyfriend. The silent treatment is so childish." Atobe snorted.

Oishi wasn't too sure on how he should deal with the two of them, afraid that he might aggravate the situation instead. The motherhen vice-captain settled on comforting the traumatized members instead.

_Yesterday had been when this war started. It was a normal day of practice, with the new members joining the non-regulars for practice, and Tezuka was watching over his fellow regulars. Echizen had been a little crankier than usual, but other than that, all was fine._

_That was until one of Tezuka's fangirls had barged into the courts and given her idol a swift peck on the cheek. The captain remained poker-faced, though his eyes widened slightly behind his glasses. The captain was so stunned that he remained rooted to the spot. Oishi, being the most sensitive and the first to detect any signs of danger, began to panic. Atobe took charge immediately and barked for members of his cheering squad to escort (throw?) the girl out immediately._

_The damage was done though, as after practice, when everyone had been dismissed and only the regulars were left, Fuji was making his way to the clubroom when he noticed Oishi, Kikumaru, Momo and Kaidou pressing their ear to the door._

"_Eiji?" Fuji was about to ask about what was going on, but the acrobatic player pressed a finger to his lips. Fuji decided to join in the group of busybodies, eavesdropping on whatever was going on inside._

_The sounds of Echizen and Tezuka arguing broadcasted very clearly even through the door. Not surprisingly, it was about the kiss incident earlier. Fuji had noticed that Echizen was in a bad mood (possibly pissed off by Nanjirou earlier that day), and while usually he wouldn't have bothered about such a scene, today Echizen was downright jealous over it, since his tolerance level was extremely low that day._

_Tezuka, irritated by Echizen making a fuss out of it, started defending himself, though in his exasperation, the captain's voice might have been a little too loud to Echizen's liking, and before long it was war between them. It had gone to the point that the two social retards, not knowing how to diffuse the tension between them, gave each other the silent treatment instead._

"_I'm not talking to you anymore!" The brat had yelled at the captain._

"_Fine!" Tezuka had snapped back. _

_The eavesdroppers took cover as the door to the clubroom burst open, and the two stormed out, heading in two different directions. It was only after the two had left their sights did they come out from their hiding places._

"_Whoa! That sounded bad." Kikumaru stated the obvious._

_Oishi patted his doubles partner on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Eiji. I'm sure they'll be fine. By tomorrow, they'd have forgotten all about this."_

Apparently not, if this killer aura was saying anything.

Ryoma finished his can of Ponta and stood up, heading towards one of the courts. It was only halfway there when he noticed that Tezuka had been heading towards the same court. He hadn't noticed him earlier for he hadn't been looking at Tezuka.

They engaged in a glaring competition for a short while. Ryoma suddenly pinned a stare at his fellow regulars, who had been watching the silent exchange between them.

"Eiji-senpai. Be my doubles partner." He suddenly spoke up. It wasn't a request. More of a command, one which promised Kikumaru the wrath of a brat if he had turned it down.

Tezuka too had turned to the regulars. "Oishi." The message was clear.

The Golden Pair stared at each other in forlorn, the same thought running through their minds. 'Why us?'

The two pillars were literally killing each other on the courts, playing as if they were in the Nationals instead of a normal practice. Ryoma had gone brat mode and was taunting Tezuka, who had remained silent, save for the vein throbbing on his head. The Golden Pair, knowing their disastrous 'talent' in doubles, wisely kept out of the way, pretending they were decors at the sides of the courts instead.

The match dragged on for more than 15 minutes, and neither side was winning. The regulars were incredibly tense as they watched the match. They weren't the only ones, for a number of the non-regulars were spectators as well.

"Takku…if it isn't because Echizen's a male, I'd say he's pms-ing. Ann does that to me sometimes." Momoshiro sighed.

"Maa…Echizen's just in a bad mood now." Fuji smiled.

The match ended at 6 all. Strangely, the two didn't prolong it into a tie-break, seemingly satisfied to have vented their frustrations in the game. When the two shook hands at the net, it was obvious that they were back on speaking terms, as if the little spat had never happened. They walked off the courts together, completely forgetting their respective doubles' partners, who were looking scandalized.

"Mou! I hope this won't happen again." Kikumaru complained, feeling completely drained from being so tensed during the match.

Oishi nodded, looking equally tired. "I hope so too. I don't think my heart will be able to take it again."

The regulars watched as the two interacted. With Tezuka in a good mood again, the atmosphere of the tennis club relaxed visibly.

"Well, by the way they're acting, I think this is one incident which wouldn't repeat itself." Oishi said confidently.

The others merely echoed their agreement.

Two Months Later

"Not again…" Kikumaru groaned. The dark clouds and crows were back, and this round in far larger numbers.

Again, the two troublesome boyfriends had their back towards each other. Both of them pinned the regulars with a stare.

"Fuji-senpai, be my doubles partner." -Echizen

"Atobe." –Tezuka

'Why me?'- Atobe and Fuji.

XXX

Once the other regulars have rescued the K-High tensai and vice-captain from the extremely traumatizing match, all of them stood as spectators.

Tezuka and Echizen had, again, vented all their frustrations on the match, and, again, were back to speaking terms. The K-High team have a feeling this wouldn't be the last of it.

"What do you think of their relationship so far?" Momoshiro started the conversation.

Oishi watched the two, who sat next to each other, Tezuka drinking from his water bottle, and Echizen sipping his Ponta.

"Their relationship? Maa…I'd say that it's very much like the pillars they are…strong, steady…very unmoving." Oishi said thoughtfully.

Everyone nodded to that. "Yup. Very little progress in their relationship. Good thing it's quite stable too. Not even those spats could break them apart for long." Momoshiro stated. Their relationship was pretty much the same as it was two years ago. Not much changes. Something to be expected from two people who were so uptight.

The regulars went back to practice. Kikumaru was the first to start the next question. "Hoi hoi, how long do you think Tezuka and Ochibi would remain together?"

"One year." Atobe declared.

Fuji chuckled. "That's what you said last year."

"Three years. Fsshhhuu." Kaidou gave his reply.

"Ten!" Momoshiro chirped.

"20?" Oishi guessed.

Fuji gave another chuckle. "My guess is they'd be together for the rest of their lives."

All eyes turned to the tensai. "I severely doubt that. Those two's relationship is so unmoving!" Momoshiro exclaimed.

Fuji merely gave a smile at that. "Who knows. They might get married, have lots of kids and kittens running around the house, and Echizen'll be the housewife." He said all these with a straight face, ignoring the looks of disbelief on his teammates' faces.

"You can't be serious, Fuji." Atobe snorted.

Fuji chuckled. "Saa…"

::End of Extra Chapter::

A/N: This is officially the end for the EOB, LAS back to back fics. Thank you all for reading the two fics.

Note that since this is the last chapter, I will not be able to reply to anonymous reviews. I'd only be able to reply to signed reviews. All reviews are still welcome though. (grins)

Was there any original character which you liked? Both from EOB or LAS?

From EOB:

Fellow regulars- Tsun, Itsuki, Takahiro

Walking subwoofer- Tina

From LAS:

Fellow Regulars- Kira, Asakawa

Atobe's parents-Kirie and Catherine

Atobe's relatives- Paternal (the Kitsune family-Miyabi and Mafuyu), Maternal (Phillip)

Headmaster Toruwa and teacher advisor Ayaka

The doctors and nurses in Kyuushu

I think that should be about all for the original characters, not including those from the rival schools. Well, have you liked any of them (including the ones I might have forgotten to mention)? Would be making a personal reference from your reviews.

Please note that the sequel would be taking a _very_ different theme from the current two fics. There will be a rather big jump in the timeline too. Also, there will be two elements included which a lot of people may be uncomfortable about (and nope, it's not overly mature content, if that's what you're wondering). Please refer to the A/N and the summary of the sequel for more details, and DO NOT flame me for it.

Last but not least, **Please Read and Review. No Flames Please.**

-Gwyn


End file.
